Scientific Inquiry
What branch of science studies living things and their environments?
Biology
What is the simplest unit of matter?
atom
What organelle contains genetic information and controls cell functions?
nucleus
What molecule carries genetic information and has a double-helix structure?
DNA
What type of transport does NOT require cellular energy?
passive transport
What variable does the scientist purposely control or change during an investigation?
Independent variable
What type of bond forms when atoms share electrons?
Covalent bond
What organelle converts food into energy for the cell?
mitochondria
What are segments of DNA that code for proteins called?
genes
What is the diffusion of water across a semipermeable membrane called?
osmosis
What is the difference between quantitative and qualitative data?
Quantitative data are measurable/numerical; qualitative data describe qualities that aren't measured numerically.
What are the four major biomolecules essential for life?
Nucleic acids, carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins
Give the three main ideas of cell theory.
1. All living things are made of cells
2. Cells are the basic units of structure/organization and function
3. Cells come from previously existing cells.
During transcription, DNA information is used to make what molecule?
Messenger RNA (mRNA)
During diffusion, particles naturally move from an area of ______ concentration to ______ concentration.
high, low
A blood-pressure cuff gives the same reading every time, but every reading is 10 points too high. Is it reliable, valid, both, or neither?
Reliable but not valid
Proteins are made from long chains of what monomers?
Amino acids
Name two structures found in plant cells that distinguish them from animal cells in the notes.
Cell wall and chloroplasts
What is the difference between transcription and translation?
Transcription makes mRNA from DNA; translation uses mRNA and ribosomes to build a protein.
A cell moves a substance from low concentration to high concentration. What type of transport is occurring, and what does it require?
Active transport; it requires energy/ATP.
A scientist changes the amount of coffee people drink and measures their blood pressure. Identify the independent and dependent variables.
Independent = amount of coffee
Dependent = blood pressure.
Explain the difference between a molecule and a compound.
A molecule is two or more atoms chemically bonded; a compound contains atoms of at least two different elements.
Trace a protein through the cell beginning where it is made and ending when it is prepared for transport.
Ribosome → rough ER → Golgi apparatus → packaged into vesicles/transported.
DNA contains A, T, C, and G, while RNA differs in two important ways. Name both differences.
DNA is double-stranded and uses thymine; RNA is single-stranded and uses uracil.
A cell is placed in a solution with a higher solute concentration outside the cell than inside. Identify the solution and predict where water moves.
Hypertonic; water moves out of the cell into the surroundings.