Study Guide test 1

Question 1

What is the scientific method and how does it work

Answer 1

orderly testing of hypotheses. Observe, propose a hypothesis, test, predict, data, interpret

Question 2

what are systems and how are they useful in science

Answer 2

is a network of interdependent components and processes, with materials and energy flowing from one component of the system to another. organize our thoughts

Question 3

what is scientific consensus how does it relate to conflict and disagreement among scientists

Answer 3

Ideas and information are exchanged, debated, tested, and retested to arrive at scientific consensus, or general agreement among informed scholars.

Question 4

what is science

Answer 4

science begins with curiosity about the world. More formally, science is a process for producing knowledge methodically and logically.

Question 5

what sort of analysis in a general way does science require

Answer 5

This is an explanation that is supported by an overwhelming body of evidence and accepted by the scientific community.

Question 6

why is reproducibility important for science reliability, validity

Answer 6

The capacity for a particular result to be observed or obtained more than once.

Question 7

why does science depend on rigorous testing of hypothese

Answer 7

increases the reliability of scientific knowledge by using sound logic to gradually reduce the set of plausible biological explanations

Question 8

why are widely accepted well defended scientific explanations called theories

Answer 8

This is an explanation that is supported by an overwhelming body of evidence and accepted by the scientific community.

Question 9

what does the book mean by science being an incremental process

Answer 9

breaks the software development process down into small, manageable portions known as increments. Each increment builds on the previous version so that improvements are made step by step.

Question 10

what is the difference between critical thinking and doing science

Answer 10

Critical thinking can be developed through focused learning activities.

Question 11

natural experiment

Answer 11

a study of events that have already happened

Question 12

negative feedback

Answer 12

a situation in which a factor or condition causes changes that reduce that factor or condition

Question 13

open system

Answer 13

a system than exchanges energy and matter with its environment

Question 14

positive feedback

Answer 14

a situation in which a factor or condition causes changes that further enhance the factor or condition

Question 15

steps of the scientific method

Answer 15

make an observation, ask a question, test your hypothesis and collect data, examine the results and draw conclusions

Question 16

reliability

Answer 16

the extent to which the findings of repeated experiments conducted under identical or similar conditions agree with each other

Question 17

validity

Answer 17

the extent to which an experiment addresses the question under investigation

Question 18

empiricism

Answer 18

a theory of knowledge which emphasizes those aspects of scientific knowledge that are closely related to experience, especially as formed through deliberate experimental arrangements.

Question 19

parsimony

Answer 19

The parsimony principle is basic to all science and tells us to choose the simplest scientific explanation that fits the evidence. In terms of tree-building, that means that, all other things being equal, the best hypothesis is the one that requires the fewest evolutionary changes.

Question 20

uncertainty

Answer 20

the state of being uncertain.

Question 21

proof is elusive

Answer 21

We rarely expect science to provide absolute proof that a theory is correct, because new evidence may always undermine our current understanding

Question 22

blind experiement

Answer 22

experiment in which those carrying out the experiment don’t know until after the fathering and analysis of data which was the experimental treatment and which was the control

Question 23

closed system

Answer 23

an ecosystem that neither receives nor emits energy or matter to the surrounding environment

Question 24

controlled study

Answer 24

study in which comparisons are made between experimental and control populations that are as far as possible identical in every factor except the one variable being studied

Question 25

disturbances

Answer 25

periodic destructive events such as fires or floods changes in an ecosystem that affect positively or negatively the organisms living there

Question 26

double blind experiment

Answer 26

a design in which neither the experimenter nor the subjects know until after the gathering and analysis of data which was the experimental treatment and which was the control

Question 27

emergent properties

Answer 27

characteristics of whole functioning systems that are quantitatively or qualitatively greater than the sum of the systems parts

Question 28

hypothesis

Answer 28

a provisional explanation that can be tested scientifically

Question 29

manipulative experiment

Answer 29

an experiment in which some conditions are deliberately altered while others are held constant to study cause and effect relationships

Question 30

models

Answer 30

simple representations of more complex systems

Question 31

describe matter, elements, and molecules and give simple example of the role of four major kinds of organic compounds in living cells

Answer 31

matter is everything that takes up space and has mass solid, liquid, gas and plasma.

elements are basic substances that cannot be broken down into simpler forms by ordinary chemical reactions such as carbon or oxygen

if a pair or group of atoms can exist as a single unit it is known as a molecule

Question 32

define energy, explain how organisms and ecosystems capture and transform energy

Answer 32

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Question 33

define species , populations, communities, and ecosystems, and summarize the ecological significance of trophic levels

Answer 33

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Question 34

explain the differentiate the important aspects of the water, carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycles

Answer 34

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Question 35

what are organic compounds and why are they important

Answer 35

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Question 36

what is the difference between photosynthesis and cellular respiration and how are they related

Answer 36

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