Biology The study of life Terms Observation The

Biology The study of life

Terms Observation- The process of gathering information in an orderly way. Data- Information gathered and is used to make inferences. qualitative data- expressed as numbers (counting/measuring) Inference- logical interpretation based on prior knowledge or experience.

Terms Hypothesis- a proposed scientific explanation for a of observations use prior knowledge Logical inference Informed creative imagination set Test it by performing controlled experiments or gathering data.

Terms Conclusion- must be valid & based on logical interpretation of data. Controlled Experiment- only 1 variable should change at a time & others should stay the Theory- a well tested explanation that brings together a wide variety of observations. same.

Terms Control group- is a group that is not exposed to the experimental variable. Control or Constant- how the experiment would happen naturally without you doing anything. Example: If you are testing the effects of a certain medication on humans, you give half of the subjects the medication and the other half a placebo, which is a sugar pill that has no effect. The latter group is the "control group". Their purpose is to remove the psychological effect of taking the medication from the results of the experiment, so that the only variable remaining is the actual effects of the medication.

Variables Responding variable- Dependent-the one that is observed & changes because of the manipulative variable. DRY Manipulative variable- Independent- the one that is deliberately changed. MIX

Scientific Method Identify the Problem-find a problem to solve Make Observations- use your senses Make a Hypothesis- If/then, but not always! Test the Hypothesis- set up an experiment Collect Data- use a data table Analyze Data- make a graph Draw a Conclusion- based on the results; “Due to…. ”