Question

. After performing a calculation, a student obtains a numerical answer. What is a crucial next step in the problem-solving methodology to ensure the answer is plausible?

• A. Measure the linear relationship between two variables while controlling for the effect of a third variable.
• B. Find the correlation between all variables in a dataset.
• C. Perform a dimensional analysis to verify the units and consider if the magnitude of the answer is reasonable.
• D. Calculate the correlation for only a part of the data.

Answer 1

Answer:

C. Perform a dimensional analysis to verify the units and consider if the magnitude of the answer is reasonable.

• Checking the units (dimensional analysis) and the order of magnitude of the answer are critical steps to catch errors and ensure the solution is logical and physically plausible.