Nature of Science
A testable explanation or prediction for an observation
What is a hypothesis?
The variable that a scientist purposely changes.
What is the independent variable?
The basic unit of an element.
What is an atom?
Water molecules are attracted to each other, creating this property.
What is surface tension?
The four major biological macromolecules are carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and these.
What are nucleic acids?
This type of data uses numbers and measurements.
What is quantitative data?
The variable that is measured or observed during an experiment.
What is the dependent variable?
Name three of the six elements necessary for life.
What is carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur?
A substance that is attracted to or mixes well with water.
What is hydrophilic?
The small building blocks that make up larger polymers.
What are monomers?
This type of data describes qualities or characteristics rather than numbers.
What is qualitative data?
The group in an experiment that does not receive the variable being tested and provides a comparison.
A group of atoms joined together forms this.
What is a molecule?
A substance that does not mix well with water.
What is hydrophobic?
This macromolecule is primarily associated with energy storage and provides long-term energy storage.
What are lipids?
A scientific explanation that is strongly supported by repeated evidence and testing?
What is a theory?
The factors that must remain the same throughout an experiment.
What are constants/controlled variables?
A molecule with an uneven distribution of charge is described as this.
What is polar?
Water is an example of this type of molecule because it has an uneven distribution of charge.
What is a polar molecule?
This macromolecule is the last resort for energy.
What are proteins?
A scientist notices that plants near a window grow taller. They predict that plants grow taller with more sunlight. What part of the investigation is the prediction?
What is the hypothesis?
A scientist tests whether fertilizer affects plant growth. One group receives fertilizer and one group does not. The scientist measures plant height. Identify the independent variable, dependent variable, and control group.
IV = fertilizer; DV = plant height; Control = plants without fertilizer.
Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur are important to living things. What does this group of six elements have in common?
What are the six elements identified in the unit as necessary for life?
A student observes that a substance does not dissolve or mix well with water. Based on this observation, how would you classify the substance? Explain.
It is hydrophobic because it does not mix well with water.
A student needs a molecule that can store genetic information. Which macromolecule should they choose?
What is a nucleic acid?