Nature of Science and Biology- Chapter 1 Notes



Name:___________________________________

Nature of Science and Biology- Chapter 1 Notes

What is Science? (1-1)

The root sci- means “__________________”. Science is one way of investigating the world in which we live. The goal of science is to:

• _________________________________________________,

• _________________________________________________, and

• _________________________________________________.

Science can only concern itself with questions that can be answered by tests and\or observations. Scientists use _____________________ (process of gathering information by using your five senses) to gather ___________. They also use known data to make _____________________ (a logical interpretation of the data based on past experiences). PRACTICE…

Write 2 observations about your surroundings

_________________________________________________________________________________

Write 2 inferences based on the data around you

_________________________________________________________________________________

How Scientists Work (1-2)

Scientific investigations – describe the way scientists gather information and test ideas about nature. The Scientific Method describes only one kind of investigation which is called _________________________________________. Other investigations can be ______________ in nature, like describing a newly found species.

Steps to Experimental Scientific Investigation (The Scientific Method):

1. ________________ – make an observation of the world around you. There are two kinds of observations:

a. Qualitative observation –

i. Ex:

b. Quantitative observation –

i. Ex:

PRACTICE…

Write 2 Qualitative observations in your class

_________________________________________________________________________________

Write 2 Quantitative observations about your classroom _________________________________________________________________________________

2. _______________________ – based on your observation, ask a question you can investigate by __________________________________. “I wonder why? /how?”

3. _________________ - Look in __________________,_______________________, and the ________________ to make additional observations and research about the questions you made from your observation.

4. ____________________________________ - Propose a ___________________________to the question being observed and researched. The statement must be _________________. (“Which is best?” does not lend itself to being tested). At the end of the investigation, you will _____________ _____________________________________________________.

5. Perform a controlled experiment - Develop and use the experimental design to test your hypothesis. Whenever possible, the hypothesis should be tested by an experiment in which only one variable is changed at a time. All other variables should be kept the same, or controlled.

a. Variables: Factor within the investigation being tested

i. _______________ - ______________________________________________

ii. _______________ - ______________________________________________

iii. _______________ - ______________________________________________

D M

R I

Y X

Repeat your experiment - _______________________________________________

6. Collect and Interpret data - (measurements) and perform analysis on the data using ___________________________________________________________________________

7. ____________________________________ - State whether or not the data and evidence from your experiments supports your hypothesis

8. Report back to the community – Experiments’ results can be used by others to help them with their own experiments. This is what keeps science progressing.

What is the difference between a hypothesis, a theory, and a law?

• A hypothesis is _____________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

• A theory is _________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

• A law is ____________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Studying Life (1-3)

Characteristics of Living Things: all living things have all eight things in common:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Branches of Biology – biology is studied at many levels of organization from simple to complex:

1. __________________ – groups of atoms

2. __________________ – smallest functional unit of life

3. __________________ – tissues organs, and organ systems

4. __________________ – individual living system

5. __________________ – Number of one specific species that live in an area

6. __________________ – all the populations that live together in a defined area

7. __________________ – community and its non living surroundings (biotic and abiotic factors)

8. __________________ – the part of Earth that contains all ecosystems

Tools and Procedures (1-4)

Biologists use metric measurements (the SI system) to gather and interpret data.

Some common units used in Biology

|Length | | |

|Mass | | |

|Time | | |

|Temperature | | |

|Volume | | |

|Density | | |

|Kilo- |K | |

|Hecto- |h | |

|Deka- |da | |

|Unit (m, L, g) |- | |

|Deci- |d | |

|Centi- |c | |

|Milli- |m | |

If you want to change a higher unit into a smaller unit, move the decimal point to the _____________.

If you want to change a smaller unit to a larger unit move the decimal point to the________________.

Example problems (next page):

1) Convert 100 g to kg.

Grams are smaller than kilograms so we move to the left 3 spaces.

100.0 g = __________

2) 0.0074 kL =

kiloliter is bigger than liter so move to the right 3 spaces

Scientific Notation - to make large or small numbers easier to read

Numbers that are very small (many numbers after the decimal) have negative exponents

Numbers that are very large (many numbers before the decimal) have positive exponents

The goal is to have one non-zero number to the left of the decimal with an exponent at the end that tells you how many decimal places and in which direction you would move to get to the original number

Scientific Notation is really only useful if it will make the number shorter by eliminating zeros.

Example:

1) 0.0000000001 kg is easier to read as 1.0 x 10-10 kg

2) 1094600000 cm is easier to read as 1.0946 x 109 cm

Practice problems:

1) 1980084600000 g = _____________________________________

2) 0.00034568 cm = _______________________________________

3) 14698 g = _____________________________________________

Graphing- how a scientist shows patterns in data collected.

There are several kinds of graphs; some graphs are more useful then others to communicate different types of data.

1. ________________________- compares two things in which items on one axis may affect the items on the other axis. Line graphs are best used to show changes over time (Ex. Amount of CO2 in the atmosphere over the last 6 decades).

2. ________________- compares two or more values. (Ex. Number of students with red hair in each class)

3. __________________________- effective in showing proportions or percentages of a whole thing. (Ex. Comparing the percentage vote that each candidate received in the election)

Always draw lines with a ruler, use pencil, and use map pencils when necessary. Make sure your graph contains all components:

1. Title – tell what you are comparing or

displaying (be descriptive).

2. Horizontal axis – label and give scale.

3. Vertical axis – label and give scale.

4. Key – give meanings of the symbols

and colors used on the graph.

5. Data points – clearly marked, and

label them if you do not have grid line.

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The metric system is universal measurement system based on the number 10. The meter is the distance value, the gram in the mass value, and the liter is the volume value.

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