General Biology: Scientific Methods, Characteristics of Life, and Chemical Foundations

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering the scientific method, the hierarchy and characteristics of life, atomic structure, chemical bonding types, and the chemical properties of water.

Claim

A statement that answers the original question in an investigation.

Evidence

Research and scientific data that supports a claim.

Reasoning

The explanation of how and why evidence supports a specific claim.

Hypothesis

A suggested explanation for a phenomenon that can be tested.

Scientific Theory

An overarching explanation for natural phenomena that describes why they occur; backed by facts and scientific evidence, it cannot become a scientific law.

Scientific Law

A description of a natural phenomenon that describes what happens, often expressed as a mathematical explanation.

Science

Knowledge about the natural world, matter, and energy.

Biology

The scientific study of life.

Testable

The property of a hypothesis or idea that allows it to be investigated through observation or experiment.

Falsifiable

The capacity of a scientific explanation or hypothesis to be proven wrong by evidence.

Variable

A factor or condition that is changed during an experiment.

Control

An experimental condition or baseline group that does not receive the experimental treatment.

Applied Science

A form of science that uses scientific knowledge to solve real-world problems.

Serendipity

The occurrence of making a fortunate or unexpected discovery.

Homeostasis

The ability of an organism to maintain a constant internal environment.

Regulation

The coordination of internal bodily functions within a living organism.

Order

The highly organized structure characteristic of living things, consisting of one or more cells progressing through tissues, organs, organ systems, and whole organisms.

Proton

A subatomic particle located in the center of an atom's nucleus that has a $+1$ charge, a mass of $1\,\text{amu}$, and determines the atomic number and elemental identity.

Neutron

An uncharged ($0$ charge) subatomic particle located in the center of the nucleus with the same mass as a proton ($1\,\text{amu}$).

Electron

The smallest subatomic particle with a $-1$ charge and negligible mass that forms the outer fuzzy edge of an atom.

Ion

An atom that carries a net electric charge resulting from an imbalance between the number of protons and electrons.

Atomic Number

The total number of protons found in the nucleus of an atom.

Mass Number

The total number of protons plus neutrons in an atom's nucleus.

Valence Shell

The outermost electron ring of an atom that determines its chemical bonding and stability.

Octet Rule

The principle stating that atoms with more than one shell will gain, share, or lose electrons to achieve $8$ electrons in their outermost shell for stability (while the first shell holds up to $2$ electrons).

Ionic Bond

A strong chemical bond formed by the full transfer of electrons between atoms of opposite charges, requiring large amounts of energy to break.

Nonpolar Covalent Bond

A chemical bond formed between atoms of the same element or different elements that share electrons equally, resulting in almost equal charge distribution and no dissociation in water.

Polar Covalent Bond

A chemical bond in which shared electrons spend more time closer to one nucleus than the other, resulting in partial positive and negative charges.

Hydrogen Bond

A weak intermolecular bond occurring between polar molecules, such as between adjacent water molecules.

Electronegativity

The ability of an atom to attract electrons, reflecting how hard an atom pulls on electrons.

Cation

A positively charged ($+$\text{) ion}.

Anion

A negatively charged ($-$\text{) ion}.

Cohesion

The intermolecular attraction that holds water molecules together, responsible for creating surface tension.