What term refers to a pattern of change over time in data?

• A. Observation
• B. Trend
• C. Experiment
• D. Replication

Answer: (B)

When data are collected over successive time points, the overall direction the values take is called a trend. A trend shows whether the measurements tend to increase, decrease, or stay about the same as time goes on, revealing long-term changes rather than just a single point. This helps us understand how something changes over time—for example, plant height measured each week might show an upward trend as the plant grows. An observation is simply recording data without interpreting a pattern over time. An experiment is a controlled test to see what effect changing a variable has. Replication means repeating a study or measurement to check if results are consistent. So the term that describes a pattern of change over time in data is trend.