Unit ) Science Skills Boot Camp

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering scientific thinking, experimental design, statistics, and enzyme terminology from the AP Biology lecture notes.

Claim

A statement that answers a scientific question.

Evidence

Scientific data that supports a claim.

Reasoning

A justification that connects the evidence to the claim using scientific principles.

CER

An acronym for Claim-Evidence-Reasoning, a framework for scientific argumentation.

Observation

Information gathered through the senses or using scientific instruments.

Hypothesis

A testable and falsifiable explanation for an observation or scientific question.

Variable

Any factor, trait, or condition that can exist in differing amounts or types in an experiment.

Independent Variable

The variable that is deliberately changed or manipulated in an experiment.

Dependent Variable

The variable that is measured or observed as it responds to changes in the independent variable.

Controlled Variable

A constant factor that is kept the same throughout an experiment to ensure a fair test.

Control Group

The group in an experiment that does not receive the treatment and is used as a benchmark for comparison.

Experimental Group

The group in an experiment that receives the variable or treatment being tested.

Trial

A single performance or iteration of an experimental procedure.

Replicate

The practice of repeating an experiment or specific conditions to ensure results are consistent and not due to chance.

Sample Size

The number of individual observations or subjects included in an experiment or study.

Precision

A measure of how close a series of measurements are to one another.

Accuracy

A measure of how close a measurement is to the true or accepted value.

Reliability

The consistency and repeatability of experimental results.

Validity

The extent to which an experiment accurately measures what it was intended to measure.

Qualitative Data

Descriptive information that characterizes qualities but does not measure them numerically.

Quantitative Data

Information that can be measured and written down with numbers.

Data Table

A systematic arrangement of gathered data organized in rows and columns.

Graph

A visual representation of the relationship between variables.

Trend

The general direction or pattern in which data changes over time or across different conditions.

Error Bars

Graphical representations of the variability of data, often indicating standard deviation or uncertainty.

Standard Deviation

A statistical measure used to quantify the amount of variation or dispersion in a set of data values.

Mean

The arithmetic average of a distribution, calculated by adding the scores and then dividing by the number of scores.

Rate

A measure of how much one quantity changes relative to another, typically over a period of time.

Percent Change

A formula used to determine the relative increase or decrease of a value: \frac{\text{New Value} - \text{Old Value}}{\text{Old Value}} \times 100\text{%}.

Probability

The likelihood that a particular event will occur.

Observed Value

The actual data collected or measured during an experiment.

Expected Value

The value predicted by a hypothesis or theoretical model in a statistical test.

Chi-Square

A statistical test used to determine if there is a significant difference between observed and expected frequency distributions.

Null Hypothesis

A statement that there is no significant difference or relationship between populations or variables.

Reject

A statistical decision to dismiss the null hypothesis when the evidence suggests a significant difference exists.

Support

To provide evidence that is consistent with a scientific hypothesis or claim.

Catalase

An enzyme that facilitates the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen.

Enzyme

A biological catalyst, usually a protein, that speeds up chemical reactions by lowering activation energy.

Substrate

The specific reactant molecule upon which an enzyme acts.

Active Site

The specific region of an enzyme where the substrate binds and the chemical reaction occurs.

Reaction Rate

The speed at which reactants are converted into products in a chemical reaction.

Optimum

The specific condition (such as temperature or pH) at which an enzyme or process functions most efficiently.

pH

A logarithmic scale used to specify the acidity or alkalinity of an aqueous solution.

Analyze

To examine data methodically to identify patterns, relationships, or trends.

Justify

To provide evidence or scientific reasoning to defend a claim or conclusion.