Module 1 Flashcards
Quantitive observation
observations involving numbers, such as counting or measuring
qualitative observation
observations that are not easily counted or measured, such as color or texture
inference
logical interpretation based on prior knowledge, experience, or evidence
hypothesis
a suggested, testable answer to a well defined scientific question or a possible testable explanation for observation
variable
a factor that changes in an experiment
independent variable
the variable manipulated by the experimenter
dependent variable
the variable responding to the manipulated variable
experimental group
the group in an experiment that is manipulated (contains independent variable)
control group
the group that experiences no manipulation in experiment (does not contain an independent variable)
scientific theory
an explanation of some part of the natural world that has been thoroughly tested and is supported by a significant amount of evidence from observations and experiments (an explanation for observation)
scientific law
a description of s natural relationship or a principle expressed in mathematical terms =, and supported by a significant amount of evidence (ok its basically just an observation described)
abiogenesis
the idea that long ago, very simple life forms spontaneously appeared through chemical reactions
microorganisms
living creatures that are hard to see with your eyes
spontaneous generation
the idea that a living organism can be formed by an unliving matter
cells
the smallest units of an organism considered alive
unicellular
the Latin prefix “uni” means “one”. so unicellular means “single celled”
multicellular
the Latin prefix “multi” means “many”. so multicellular means multi celled.
metabolism
The sum total of all processes in an organism that use energy and matter to sustain the organisms life function
anabolism
the sum total of all processes in an organism that break down chemicals to produce energy and simple chemical building blocks
catabolism
the sum total of all processes in an organism that break down chemicals to produce energy and simple chemical building blocks
photosynthesis
the process by which green plants and some other organisms use the energy of sunlight and simple chemicals to produce their own food
autotrophs
organisms that are able to make their own food
herbivores
organisms that eat only plants
carnivores
organisms that eat only organisms other than plants
omnivores
organisms that eat both plants and other organisms
heterotrophs
organisms that depend on on other organisms for their food
homeostasis
the maintenance of stable internal conditions
endotherm
organism that is internally warmed by a heat generating metabolic process
ectotherm
organism that lacks an internal mechanism for regulating body heat
receptors
special structures that allows living organisms to sense the conditions of their internal or external environment
asexual reproduction
process by which a single organism produces genetically identical offspring (offspring receives all DNA from one parent)
sexual reproduction
process by which two parents produce genetically different offspring (offspring recieves a combination of DNA from both parents)
inheritance
the process by which physical and biological characteristics are transmitted from the parent (or parents) to the offspring
mutation
an abrupt and marked change in the DNA of an organism compared to that of his parents
int. system of units
(SI) the most widely used system of measurements in science
transmission electron microscope
a microscope that transmits a beam of electrons through a thinly sliced specimen
compound light microscope
a microscope that shines light through a specimen using two lenses to magnify an image
scanning electron microscope
a microscope that passes a beam of electrons over the surface of a specimen
scientific method
the process of forming a hypothesis
