Glossary
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| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Independence | When one factor does not exert influence on another. For example, what one study participant does should not influence what another participant does. They make decisions independently. Independence is critical for a meaningful statistical analysis. Science General |
| Independent Variable | The variable that is manipulated or changed by the researcher. Science General |
| Induction | A form of inference, moving from specific observations to broader generalizations or theories. Science General |
| Inductive reasoning | Reasoning from specific observations to a general conclusion. Inductive conclusions are probable rather than certain. Science General |
| Industrial Revolution | The period beginning in the late 1700s when manufacturing and energy use shifted to machines powered by coal and later oil and gas, marking the start of large-scale human greenhouse gas emissions. Climate Change |
| Industry-Funded Research | Research paid for by companies with a stake in the results. Not automatically invalid, but associated with a higher likelihood of favourable conclusions. Public Trust |
| Infectious | Capable of spreading from one person to another or from one living being to another, communicable. Vaccines |
| Inference | Inference is the logical process of arriving at a conclusion based on available evidence, clues, and prior knowledge rather than direct statements. It is commonly used across reading comprehension, logical reasoning, and machine learning to connect known facts to unknown or implicit information. Science General |
| Inference (AI) | Using a trained model to make predictions or generate outputs on new inputs. Artificial Intelligence |
| Influenza vaccine | A vaccine against seasonal flu, updated each year to match the strains expected to circulate. It reduces illness, hospitalizations, and deaths even when the match is imperfect. Vaccines |