BIO 1201: Ch 1-2 Vocab

Vocabulary-style flashcards covering key biology and scientific inquiry terms and their definitions derived from the notes.

Biology

The scientific study of life.

Science

An approach based on observations and evidence used to understand the natural world.

Data

Recorded observations—evidence which scientific inquiry is based

Hypothesis

A proposed explanation for a set of observations that can be tested.

Experiment(s)

Systematic tests designed to test a hypothesis by manipulating variables.

Peer review

Evaluation of research by qualified, impartial experts not involved in the study.

Theory

A comprehensive and well-substantiated explanation of natural phenomena.

Fact

A piece of information considered objectively true based on all current evidence

Variable

A factor that changes in an experiment.

Controlled experiment

An experiment that compares two or more groups that differ only in one variable

Control group

The group that lacks or does not receive the factor being tested.

Independent variable

The factor deliberately manipulated by researchers; the potential cause.

Dependent variable

response or effect under investigation that is used to judge the outcome of an experiment

Experimental group

The group that receives the specific factor being tested.

Single-blind experiment

An experiment where participants do not know which treatment they receive to reduce bias.

Placebo

group that doesnt know that they are recieving an ineffective treatment

double-blind experiment

where neither the participant nor experimenter knows which group is the control group

pseudoscience

field of study that is falsely presented as having a scientific basis

anecdotal evidence

assertion based on a single or few experiences that do not support a generalized conclusion

biosphere

consists of all the environments on Earth that support life

evolution

process of change that has transformed life on Earth from its earliest forms to the vast array of organisms today

natural selection

process in which individuals with certain inherited traits are more likely to survive and reproduce

matter

anything that occupies space and has mass

mass

measure of the amount of material in an object

element

substance that cannot be broken down into other substances by chemical reactions

periodic table of he elements

table listing all the chemical elements

trace elements

elements essential for survival but only needed in small amounts

compounds

substances that contain two or more different elements in a fixed ratio

atom

smallest unit of matter

proton

subatomic particle with a positive charge

electron

subatomic particle with a negative charge

neutron

subatomic particle with that is neutral (no charge)

nucleus

atoms central core

atomic number

number of protons in each atom of an element

mass number

sum of the number of protons and neutrons

atomic mass

total mass of an atom

isotopes

variants of an atom of an element — same number of protons but differs in neutrons

radioactive isotope

the nucelus decays spontaneously

chemical bonds

reactions that result in atoms to stay close together

ions

atom or molecule that has gained or lost electrons

ionic bond

attraction of two oppositely charged ions, give one or lose one

covalent bond

when two atoms share electron pairs

molecule

group of 2 or more atoms held together by covalent bonds

polar molecule

uneven distribution of charges that create a + and - pole

hydrogen bonds

Weak chemical bond: attraction of a H^+ atom to a negative atom in another molecule.

chemical reactions

changes in a chemical composition of matter

reactants

starting material in a chemical reaction

products

results in a chemical reaction

cohesion

attraction between molecules of the same kind

evaporative cooling

property of water whereby a body becomes cooler as water evaporates from it

solution

liquid w/ a homogeneous mixture of 2+ substances

solvent

dissolving agent

solute

any substance that is dissolved

aqueous solution

solution when water is the solvent

acid

chemical compound that releases H+ to a solution

base

accepts H+ ions and removes them from a solution

pH scale

measure of the hydrogen ion H+ in a solution

buffers

chemical substance that decreases H+ concentration in a solution