Biology = the study of life

Characteristics of living beings:

-Made of one or more cells

-Can grow/develop

-Requires an energy source

-Gas exchange occurs

-Has the potential to reproduce

-Contains genetic information

-Reacts to stimuli

-The species can adapt/evolve over time

MICROSCOPE PARTS AND USE:

ocular lens - eyepiece

coarse focus - adjusts the location of the stage

fine focus - refines the image through the lens

nosepiece - the part to move to change objective lenses

objective lenses - the three lenses with various magnifications

natural magnification of the microscope - 10x, so when you use an objective lens it takes the magnification of the objective lens and makes it x10

red objective lens magnification - 4x

yellow objective lens magnification - 10x

blue objective lens magnification - 40x

specimen stage - the area where you place the specimen and from which you view it

stage controls - two knobs that allow you to adjust the positioning of the stage (forward, backward, right, left)

stage clips - clip the specimen into place

CONTROL VS. EXPERIMENTAL GROUPS

control group - cultivated under normal conditions; sees if the experiment is functioning properly

experimental group - cultivated under the same conditions as the control group while changing one variable

independent variable - the variable that is changed in the experimental group

dependent variable - the variable affected (and measured) in the experiment

controlled variable - a variable that does not change in the experiment

CORRELATION VS CAUSATION:

-Correlation - a relationship between two variables that may change together over time

BUT won’t be directly connected via cause and effect

Ex. - drinking more coffee makes it less likely to develop Alzheimer’s

-Causation - the change in one variable will cause the value of another variable to

change (also called “cause and effect”)

Ex. - heavy radiation exposure over a short period of time will kill a person

QUANTITATIVE VS QUALITATIVE DATA

-Quantitative data = involves numbers (more likely to be objective truths, as long as the

tools are being used correctly)

-Qualitative data = involves descriptions/adjectives (more likely to be subjective…could

involve bias) - it’s not this data isn’t needed or valued, it’s just not typically the main

dependent variable being measured

-Graphing - be familiar with interpolation and the x/y axes relationship (from the BZ book)

Theory: a coherent group of propositions formulated to explain a group of facts or phenomena in the natural world and repeatedly confirmed through experimentation and/or observation

-Has a lot to do with the why and how something happens in nature

Ex. → Theory of Evolution, Big Bang Theory (both backed by LOTS of evidence and

studies)

Law: statement, based on repeated experiments or observations, that accurately describes or predicts a range of natural phenomena

-Has a lot to do with describing what will happen

Ex. → Law of Gravity, Law of Thermodynamics, Laws of Newtonian Motion

Hypothesis: a supposition or proposed explanation made on the basis of limited evidence as a starting point for further investigation

-Also known as an “educated guess”

-Often times phrased as an “If… then…” statement

-When an individual says, “I have a theory…”, this is what they actually have!