Key Terms
An organized way of gathering and analyzing evidence about the natural world.
Science
A _________ is a scientific explanation for a set of observations that can be tested in ways that support or reject it.
Hypothesis
Scientists make detailed records of experimental observations, gathering information called ________.
Data
Paramecium and fish are examples of which types of organisms, respectively?
Unicellular and multicellular
True or False:
Two goals of science are to
-provide explanations for events in the natural world
-use those explanations to understand patterns in nature and make useful predictions about natural events
True
The study of life.
Biology
A ________ group is exposed to the same conditions as the experimental group except for one independent variable.
Control
The act of noticing and describing events or processes in a careful, orderly way.
Observation
In ___________ reproduction, organisms only require one parent to make more of their own kind.
Asexual
How many characteristics of life must be met in order for an organism to be considered alive?
8
A signal to which an organism responds.
Stimulus
What is the responding variable or factor that may or may not change due to manipulation?
Dependent Variable
True or False: Almost every major discovery in science raises more questions than it answers.
True
Organisms will adapt and change to their environment through the process of ______________.
Evolution
Why is it important for scientists to design controlled experiments?
A hypothesis should be tested by an experiment in which only one variable is changed and all other variables kept unchanged or controlled. If several variables are changed in the experiment, researchers can't easily tell which variable is responsible for any results they observe.
The combination of chemical reactions through which an organism builds up or breaks down materials.
Metabolism
What are the two different categories of data?
Quantitative and Qualitative
Design an experiment regarding toothpaste! Be creative :)
Write a short explanation of your experiment and include a hypothesis, control group, independent and dependent variable.
Answers will vary. Must include a short explanation of experiment and include a hypothesis, control group, independent and dependent variable.
The following are examples of which characteristics of life? Why?
1. You eat a cookie and then you move around
2. You shiver when you are cold
1. Metabolism- eating food and then turning it into energy
2. Homeostasis- shivering to stay warm and maintain ideal body temperature
Provide 3 examples of homeostasis!
Answers will vary.
Examples of answers: sweating to cool down, putting on layers to keep warm in winter, shivering to warm up, pH of stomach
Homeostasis
Name the independent and dependent variables and the control group in the following experiment:
Alex loves hummingbirds and wonders which concentration of sugar water will bring the most hummingbirds to her living room window. She has made up solutions of 0%, 20%, 30%, and 40% sugar water.
Independent: sugar water concentration
Dependent: # of hummingbirds
Control: 0%- plain water
Fill in the blanks. Scientific methodology involves observing and asking questions, making inferences and ___________________, conducting controlled experiments, collecting and analyzing data, and __________________________.
forming hypotheses, drawing conclusions
Give the 8 characteristics of life with a definition and an example of each!
Cells- living things are made up of one or more cells (ex. unicellular/multicellular organisms)
DNA- all living things store genetic information in the form of a universal genetic code (ex. DNA)
Metabolism- living things obtain and use materials and energy (ex. humans eat food to gain energy)
Homeostasis- living things must maintain an internal balance (ex. we sweat to cool down)
Reproduction- living things must be able to produce more of their own kind (ex. asexual/sexual)
Evolution- populations evolve over time (ex. Darwin's finches beaks)
Grow & Develop- all living things grow in size and have distinct life changes (ex. baby->toddler->child->teenager->adult)
Response to Stimuli- living things respond to their environment (internal=stomach growling because you're hungry, external=someone poking you and you turn to see who it is)
Patrick is head of the Bikini Bottom all-nighter contest this year! He loves coffee and believes that his new coffee roast will keep the residents of Bikini Bottom awake the longest. In anticipation of the Contest, Patrick purchased coffee from McDonald's, Oceanside Deli, Dunkin' and Rock City. Write an experiment that allows Patrick to test his new coffee against all the others and see if he should put it on the market! (must include hypothesis, # of people in study, independent variable, dependent variable, and conclusion- make up your data!)
Answers will vary. Answer must specify how testing will be controlled to earn reliable results. Should have a large sample size!