Final answer:
The relevance of data does not ensure its usefulness for decision-making; data must also be reliable, accurate, and timely to be considered useful. AP students are expected to justify their data selection based on more than just relevance.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement 'The existence of relevant data guarantees the data are useful' is false, as relevance alone does not guarantee usefulness. Relevance means the data is pertinent to the matter at hand, but for the data to be useful, it must also be accurate, timely, and can be applied effectively to the problem or decision-making process. If data is irrelevant, it may not add value even if it's abundant.
When selecting data to answer a scientific question, as outlined in Advanced Placement (AP) standards, particularly the 4.1 objective, students must be able to justify the selection of the kind of data needed. This means considering not just relevance, but also the reliability and context of the data. For instance, data that does not support a hypothesis can still be incredibly useful, as it can point to flaws in the hypothesis or the need for further investigation. Experimentation is just one method of scientific investigation; observational studies, simulations, and other methods can also provide valuable insights.