Primary and Secondary Data

Primary and Secondary Data

1. Data

   • Is measurements and observations about something

2. Primary data

   • Is data you collect yourself from an experiment

3. Types of data

   • Quantitative data
     • Is measurements that use numbers
       • Including coordinates, height, average temperatures
   • Qualitative data
     • Observations that are descriptive only
       • Including name, type, habitat, floral and fauna

4. Mistakes

   • Things that affect your measurements but can be avoided with care; mistakes are not errors

5. Errors

   • Small changes to a measurements that cannot be avoided, even with care
   • Parallax error
     • Error caused by not having your eye directly in line it’s the measurement
   • Reading error
     • An error caused by having to guess, when a measurement falls between an instrument’s marking
   • Instrument error
     • Error due to a faulty instrument or using it at a temperature it is not designed for
   • Human reflex
     • Your quickest reaction to something

6. Some data never changes, so it doesn’t matter where you get the information from

   • But information can easily be out of date

7. URL

   • Is the website address
     • Australian sites (.au)
     • Government (.gov)
     • Commercial (.com)
     • Networks (.net)
     • Education (.edu)
     • Organization (.org)

8. Resource list

   • Ethics
     • Is the study of what’s right and wrong
   • Is a list of all the reassures used in gathering data for an experiment for an experiment or report
   • Reference list
     • Is all the information you used in an experiment recorded
       • Including he author, title, date of publication, publisher and place