NT science

[amzz]

Weather

[straphanger]

I agree with the difference between the very cloudy and mostly cloudy

the answer for c is wrong though...amzzie I think that they meant the average daily rainfall, over the period of one week.
they didnt ask for total, so the student was clearly wrong

[vaio]

i not sure i agree with the amount for partly and very nuh

[indie]

c is wrong, they asked for the average, not the total. and why this looking like a national test

[amzz]

dont focus on student's answers
just focus on the question
straps, by asking for average rainfall for the week does it then mean daily rainfall in normal conversations or weather forecasts?

if it is not then the question is misleading no?

[amzz]

c is wrong, they asked for the average, not the total. and why this looking like a national test

again, don't focus on the answers

average what indie?.. ummm it says NT in the title girl..

[indie]

^ ah didn't see the NT

[straphanger]

i am assuming that average rainfall for the week is not the same as average weekly rainfall, but more the average daily rainfall over one week.
maybe they expect the student to deduce the same from the information provided?

because for you to calculate the av weekly rainfall you would need several weeks worth of data?

[BW]

[Falcon]

because for you to calculate the av weekly rainfall you would need several weeks worth of data?

absolutely!!

[amzz]

can anyone confirm for me that in the world or weather forecast average rainfall for the week refers to average daily rainfall?

[straphanger]

any robin maharajs in here?

[edyle]

can anyone confirm for me that in the world or weather forecast average rainfall for the week refers to average daily rainfall?

What was your average income for last year?

[edyle]

dont focus on student's answers
just focus on the question
straps, by asking for average rainfall for the week does it then mean daily rainfall in normal conversations or weather forecasts?

if it is not then the question is misleading no?

"Peter measured the amount of rainfall over 5 days"

It's true they muddled things a bit by referring to a "week" but you can't have a weekly average with only 1 week of data to work with.

The question is not misleading, but it could either be vague of open to multiple answers; for example, the answer given could be construed as
- a weekly average of 40 ml
which except for the ml instead of the mm, could merit 1 out of 2 marks.

The correct answer is 8 mm per day.

If he had answered 1/3 mm per hour, then that would also be correct.



What is NT science?

[BW]

What is NT science?

This is the colloquial name for the "science" section of the National Test ("NT") exam.

The National Test (NT) exam is administered to primary school students for reasons unknown to me.

[amzz]

edyle, we all know what average means.. thats not the concern here

u used 'muddled' and 'vague' and these are the concerns related to test items for primary school students

[indie]

amzzie, may be the question cud have asked 'what is the daily average rainfall for the week' but asking for the average wkly rain fall as strappy correctly said, requires other weeks to calculate the avg wkly rainfall.' so is it timmy responsible for putting together the questions for the NT?

[edyle]

This is the colloquial name for the "science" section of the National Test ("NT") exam.

The National Test (NT) exam is administered to primary school students for reasons unknown to me.

You mean the SEA?

[Falcon]

Daily average rainfall for a week would not be a valid meteorological index; maybe weekly average rainfall per month or in a season. Unless of course it's like the amazon where daily average carries some factual significance

The more times you read the question and from the varied responses here, the question is ambiguous and poorly phrased.

[edyle]

amzzie, may be the question cud have asked 'what is the daily average rainfall for the week' but asking for the average wkly rain fall as strappy correctly said, requires other weeks to calculate the avg wkly rainfall.' so is it timmy responsible for putting together the questions for the NT?

They need not have mentioned 'week' at all.
The question started with '5 days' and introduced data for exactly 5 days.
At the end, the question goes lax and suddenly refers to a 'week'.
But a week is 7 days.
That's where the question became a bit muddled and vague unnecessarily.

I don't think the question is unreasonable, but to answer the question posed by the thread, that's where the possible confusion arises; not whether climate lingo presumes average rainfall to be a daily measurement as opposed to a weekly measurement.

...
How does one figure out the average rainfall for the week if one only has 5 days of data ?

[amzz]

amzzie, may be the question cud have asked 'what is the daily average rainfall for the week' but asking for the average wkly rain fall as strappy correctly said, requires other weeks to calculate the avg wkly rainfall.' so is it timmy responsible for putting together the questions for the NT?

I'm uncertain who is responsible for setting the questions but this is not the first time that questions have been difficult to analyse for the adults.

Daily average rainfall for a week would not be a valid meteorological index; maybe weekly average rainfall per month or in a season. Unless of course it's like the amazon where daily average carries some factual significance

The more times you read the question and from the varied responses here, the question is ambiguous and poorly phrased.

Hence my dilemma in giving the points to the students. Maybe I should leave out the question?

They need not have mentioned 'week' at all.
The question started with '5 days' and introduced data for exactly 5 days.
At the end, the question goes lax and suddenly refers to a 'week'.
But a week is 7 days.
That's where the question became a bit muddled and vague unnecessarily.

I don't think the question is unreasonable, but to answer the question posed by the thread, that's where the possible confusion arises; not whether climate lingo presumes average rainfall to be a daily measurement as opposed to a weekly measurement.

...
How does one figure out the average rainfall for the week if one only has 5 days of data ?

I wanted to clarify the weather language so that I would know if there was something I didn't teach the students. Are you certain about the lingo?

It's impossible to calculate the av. for the week even if the week is considered a 5 day week because information is insufficient.

[edyle]

I'm uncertain who is responsible for setting the questions but this is not the first time that questions have been difficult to analyse for the adults.



Hence my dilemma in giving the points to the students. Maybe I should leave out the question?



I wanted to clarify the weather language so that I would know if there was something I didn't teach the students. Are you certain about the lingo?

It's impossible to calculate the av. for the week even if the week is considered a 5 day week because information is insufficient.

I'm trying to figure how to phrase this..

.....

Lingo?
Lingo.


Teach children lingo?
Teach children slang?

There's something in here about assumptions, and you seem to be asking whether meteriologist use a particular assumption when speaking about rainfall measurements; I am saying that that would be irrelevant for the pupose of teaching and especially for writing a question for an exam. The question should not be inherently vague. The question should not be presumtive about the use of language. The question should not be contemporary.

Science is not a contemporary thing. Meteriologists can change their language 30 years from now, but the question in a science exam can't have a different answer depending on what decade it is being asked in. That's for art class.