science

What if chart

What if chart is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand What if chart rather than just read about it. In short: A what if chart (Whif chart, WHIF analysis, etc.) is a visual tool for modeling the outcome of a combination of different factors. The table can represent actual results or predicted outcome based on combinations of parameters.

Key takeaways

What if chart belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect What if chart to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of What if chart from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

A what if chart (Whif chart, WHIF analysis, etc.) is a visual tool for modeling the outcome of a combination of different factors. The table can represent actual results or predicted outcome based on combinations of parameters. It is a visual equivalent of asking the question, what if...? or 'what happens if...?' multiple times for each and every factor being considered.

Other uses What if charts are also used as classroom tools to facilitate cognition. In business this is also known as a WHIF (What Happens If) analysis.

Example 1 - Selecting a restaurant

Table 1 attempts to predict best choice of restaurant for a group of friends based on each one's food preferences. Each person rates the choices based on the food they prefer, the food they can tolerate, and the food they dislike. All their preferences are put in a what if chart to determine how happy they will be with the choice. Assuming Mandi and Logan are willing to compromise, clearly Italian food would be the best choice for the group.

Example 2 - Analysis of color genetics

Table 2 is simplified example from Mendelian genetics involving controlled breeding of flowers. It demonstrates the outcome when flowers of different colors are crossed with each other. The dominant color gene (Red) decides the outcome when crossed with recessive color gene (yellow) producing a hybrid (Red*) flower. If either parent possesses the dominant gene, the table shows the outcome that results.

See also What If (disambiguation) Sensitivity analysis Punnett Square

References Whitman, J.L. Dinner Table Analysis of Color Genetics. See [1] Royer, Nichole; Rat Genetics, AFRMA Rat & Mouse Tales, 1997. See [2]

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with What if chart

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what What if chart claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to What if chart before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about What if chart ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of What if chart

In research: What if chart appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses What if chart in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: What if chart is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Business models, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for What if chart outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study What if chart in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what What if chart means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain What if chart out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is What if chart in simple terms?

Why does What if chart matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study What if chart?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on What if chart.