Quarterly Review Sheet Scientific Method & Experiments

These flashcards cover key concepts from the lecture notes on the scientific method, experiments, cells, organelles, homeostasis, and human body systems.

What is the independent variable in an experiment?

The factor you change on purpose (e.g., light intensity).

What does the dependent variable represent in an experiment?

What you measure or observe (e.g., ripening time of tomatoes).

What is a control group in an experiment?

The group that does not receive the experimental treatment; used for comparison.

What are constants in an experiment?

Factors that stay the same in all groups (e.g., type of plant, amount of soil, water).

What is nutrition?

Taking in food and breaking it down for energy and growth.

What is the role of respiration in life processes?

Releasing energy from food, usually using oxygen.

Define excretion.

Getting rid of waste made by the body’s activities.

What is metabolism?

All the chemical activities in the body that keep it alive, including all life functions working together.

What do mitochondria do?

They are the powerhouse of the cell and perform cellular respiration to make ATP.

What is the function of chloroplasts?

They are found only in plants and are the site of photosynthesis.

What does the nucleus of a cell control?

It controls the cell and holds DNA, which contains instructions for making proteins.

What is the role of ribosomes in a cell?

They build proteins using instructions from DNA.

Define homeostasis.

Keeping the body’s internal conditions stable, like temperature and sugar levels.

What does the respiratory system do?

It brings in oxygen and removes carbon dioxide.

What are the roles of insulin and glucagon?

Insulin lowers blood sugar levels, while glucagon raises blood sugar levels.

What is photosynthesis?

The process by which plants make food (glucose) using sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide.

What is the equation for cellular respiration?

Glucose + Oxygen → Energy (ATP) + Carbon dioxide + Water.

What are stored forms of sugar called?

Starches.

What does the digestive system do?

It breaks down food into nutrients.

What is the function of the circulatory system?

It transports materials, including nutrients and oxygen.