Experimental design vocabulary (week 1)

week 1

Hypothesis

– A hypothesis proposes an explanation for a pattern. It often attempts to identify or explain the cause of a phenomenon. To meet the standards of science, a good hypothesis is both testable via experimentation and falsifiable

Experimental group (experimental treatment)

– a group that is subjected to the independent variable. The experimental group is compared with the control group to determine the effect of manipulating the independent variable.

Control group (control treatment)

– a group that has the “baseline” condition associated with the independent variable

Independent variables

(treatment variables) – one or more likely casual factors that you manipulate

Dependent variables

– measures of independent variable’s effect

Potential confounding variables

(sometimes called controlled variables) – extraneous variables that are held constant between all groups

Systematic variation

– This implies that in an experiment, you do NOT simultaneously change multiple independent variables at a time.

Experimental unit

The group or sample to which the independent variable is being applied on.

Replication

1\. Including multiple samples and/or groups in an experiment. 2. Making multiple measurements of the dependent variables. These will decrease the chances that confounding factors will affect your results.

Repeatability

reproduction of the entire experiment

Falsifiable

This means a hypothesis can be disproved

Adaptation

a trait that conveys an advantage, via increasing survival or reproduction, to individual organisms bearing that trait. Adaptations arise and are shaped by natural selection.

The principles of good experiments include

The experiment is designed to match a clearly articulated hypothesis

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the independent variable(s) are well-defined and are varied in a systematic way across the experimental units in the experimental group

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the experiment includes both a control group, an d an experimental group, for comparison

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Factors that could interfere with the experiments outcome are being held constant- that is, potentially confounding variables have been identified and will be addressed

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One or more dependent variables has been defined and will be measured in a reliable way

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Where possible, experimental units are divided among experimental groups (and the control group) randomly

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Replication has been incorporated among both experimental and control groups

LAB 1 VOCAB

intro to macromolecules vocabulary

carbohydrates

organic molecules that contain carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms in a ratio of approximately one carbon to two hydrogens to one oxygen \[CH2O\]n. Their building blocks are called monosaccharides. carbohydrates include sugars, starch, cellulose, glycogen, and chiton

Lipids

Organic molecules that are relatively insoluble in water and are made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen with oxygen in a lower ratio than carbohydrates. These include oils, fats, waxes, phospholipids, and steroids

Protein

Organic molecules that are made of building blocks called amino acids that are connected together by peptide bonds. In addition to carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, they also consist of nitrogen and sometimes sulphur

Nucleic acids

these organic molecules contain the genetic information for living organisms. These include DNA and RNA

Negative control

does not contain the variable that you are testing for. Usually contains the solvent which is often reverse osmosis water. A negative control shows you what a negative result looks like

Positive control

contains the variable for which you are testing in order to demonstrate that the reagent is working. A positive reaction shows that your test reacts as expected. It also shows you want a positive test looks like