AP Biology - Unit 1 Vocabulary

Biology Review and Introduction to Statistics

 1. hypothesis - a explanation, based on observations and assumptions, that leads to a testable prediction
 2. theory - an explanation that is broader in scope than a hypothesis, generates new hypotheses, and is supported by a large body of evidence
 3. experimental group - identical to the control group in all ways, except for the independent variable (experimental results)
 4. scientific law - statement of fact; describes an observation, doesn’t explain how/why; generally accepted as true and universal
 5. control group - shows expected results, group is not manipulated by the independent variable
 6. deductive reasoning - a type of logic in which specific results are predicted from a general premise
 7. inductive reasoning - a type of logic in which generalizations are based on a large large number of specific observations
 8. constant - a quantity or variable that does not change during the experiment
 9. alternative hypothesis - a hypothesis that may be supported by data

10. null hypothesis - a hypothesis that the researcher tries to disprove, reject, or nullify
11. independent variable - a factor whose value is manipulated or changed during an experiment to see how it effects the dependent variable
12. dependent variable - a factor whose value is measured during an experiment or other test to see whether it is influenced by the independent variable
13. central tendencies - the center of the distribution of a data set, can be described by the mean, median, and mode
14. mean - sum of all data points in a data set divided by number of data points (average of data set)
15. median - middle number in a range of data points
16. mode - value that appears most often in a data set
17. variability - measure of how far the data set diverges from the central tendency
18. range - difference between largest and smallest value in a data set
19. standard deviation - a measure of how spread out the data set is from the mean

standard error of the mean - used to determine the accuracy and confidence in the mean value

Structure of Water and Hydrogen Bonding

 1. matter - anything that takes up space and has mass
 2. element - a substance that can’t be broken down into other substances in a chemical reaction
 3. compound - a substance consisting of two or more elements combined in a fixed ratio
 4. octet rule - elements will gain, lose, or share electrons to complete their valence shell and become stable (like noble gases)
 5. capillary action - the upward movement of water due to the forces of cohesion, adhesion, and surface tension
 6. chemical bonds - an attraction between tow atoms, resulting from the sharing or transferring of electrons
 7. hydrogen bonds - the partially positive hydrogen atom in one polar covalent molecule will be attracted the an electronegative atom in another polar covalent molecule
 8. covalent bond - when two or more atoms share electrons (usually between nonmetals)
 9. ionic bond - the attraction between oppositely charged atoms (usually between a metal and a nonmetal)

10. cohesion - attraction of molecules to other molecules of the same kind
11. adhesion - the clinging of one molecule to a different molecule
12. atomic mass - number of protons plus number of neutrons averaged over all isotopes of an element
13. solute - substance that is dissolved
14. solution - homogenous mixture of two or more substances
15. solvent - dissolving agent in a solution
16. valence electrons - electrons in the outermost shell of an atom
17. molecule - tow ore more atoms held together by covalent bonds