Ch. 1.4 Biologists' Tools and Technology

Question 1

**What are the 3 types of investigation?

Answer 1

Descriptive, comparative, and experimental.

Question 2

**A descriptive investigation involves?

Answer 2

Describing and/or quantifying parts of a natural system. E.g., observing cells under a microscope and diagraming what is seen.

Question 3

**What does an experimental investigation involve?

Answer 3

Is when a “fair test” is designed in which variables are actively manipulated, controlled, and measured in an effort to gather evidence to support or rent a causal relationship. E.g., changing the height of a ramp to determine how far a marble will roll.

Question 4

**What are the two main kinds of information?

Answer 4

Quantitative and Qualitative.

Question 5

**What is quantitative information?

Answer 5

You obtain this kind of information when you conduct an experiment that results in counts or measurement.

Question 6

Quantitative data may be used to make?

Answer 6

Graphs or tables.

Question 7

Accuracy is?

Answer 7

How close a measurement is to the true value of the quantity measured.

Question 8

Precision is?

Answer 8

The exactness of a measurement.

Question 9

**What is qualitative information?

Answer 9

This is observable data - that is written descriptions of what scientists observe.

Question 10

**Why is qualitative information important?

Answer 10

Some phenomena are not easily expressed as numbers. It deals with descriptions. Data can be observed but not measured.

Question 11

Examples of data that can be observed but not measured?

Answer 11

Colors, textures, smells, tastes, appearance, etc.

Question 12

The seven points of 1.2:

Answer 12

1. Have organization, 2. metabolism, 3. adjust to stimuli, 4. reproduce, 5. organized system, 6. maintain homeostasis, 7. adapt/evolve.