UNIT 1 – Section 1.1

• Biology – Is the study of life• WHAT BIOLOGISTS STUDY: Life and Living Things – what it’s made of &

how it works Interactions between life and the

environment Problem Solving – from medicines to preserving different species

LIVING OR NOT SO LIVING??

Characteristics of Life

• What are some characteristics of living organisms?

• Which of these characteristics does each object have?

Characteristics of Living Things1. Have an Organized Structure (made of one or

more cells) 2. Reproduce – the production offspring. (Not

essential, but essential for the continuation of the species)

3. Grow & Develop – size changes or develops over its life

4. Respond / Interact – react to surroundings or stimuli, use energy, adjust to changes in the environment

Vocabulary

• Organism – an individual thing that possesses all the characteristics of life.

• Species – group of organisms that share certain genetic information which allows them to interbreed.

• Stimulus – anything that causes an organism to react

• Response – an organism’s reaction to a stimulus

Examples of Responses to Stimuli

• Trees adjust to cold, dry winter by losing their leaves

• Fox responding to the presence of a rabbit by quietly approaching it.

• Bears hibernate when temperatures drop• Butterflies metamorphose when food is scarce• Resurrection plants open and close leaves

depending on water availability• Mimic Octopus

Vocabulary Continued…

• Homeostatsis – maintaining a level of balance by adjusting to changes

*Examples sweating, shivering, dogs panting • Adaptation – any structural, behavioral or

internal process that helps an organism respond to changes.

UNIT 1 – Section 1.2• Scientific Method – common steps one would

use to design an experiment and gather data after identifying a problem.

(An orderly way of solving problems)P.H.E.R. Physicians HelpEveryoneRecover

P.H.E.R.• Problem/Question – What is the Question

you have or the problem you are trying to solve?

* These are usually identified by observation.• Hypothesis – Carefully formulate a statement

that can be tested. This should provide an answer to the question you had.

*Do some research to find out what is already known to formulate a good hypothesis.

• Experiment – Design and carry out an experiment to test your hypothesis

* Make sure you limit all variables to test what you desire• Results/Report Data – Observe the experiment

record the data. Draw a conclusion based on the data.

* Your data may support or refute our original hypothesis

EXPERIMENT TERMINOLOGY

Controlled Experiment - an experiment that compares what you are

testing against another group that is left normal.

Control Group - the group that is left normal. It is what you

are comparing your test with.Experimental Group - the group that gets experimented on.

Variables - the factors that affect the experiment. Control Variable or Constants - all the factors that DO NOT change in the

experimentIndependent Variable - the factor that is changed or tested on

purposeDependent Variable - the outcome or change that occurs as a

result of the independent variable

Data - any information observed and recordedHypothesis - a statement or explanation for a problem or

question that can be tested (educated guess)Theory - a hypothesis that has been tested &

supported many times Law - a statement of fact. Accepted to be true.

The Scientific Method with . . .

SpongeBob Squarepants & Friends

SpongeBob and his Bikini Bottom pals have

been busy doing a little research. Read the description for each experiment and answer the questions.

• Mr. Krabs created a secret ingredient for a breath mint that he thinks will “cure” the bad breath people get from eating crabby patties at the Krusty Krab. He asked 100 customers with a history of bad breath to try his new breath mint. He had fifty customers (Group A) eat a “secret ingredient” breath mint after eating a crabby patty.The other fifty (Group B) also received a breath mint after they finished the sandwich, however, it was just a regular breath mint and did not have the secret ingredient. Both groups were told that they were getting the breath mint that would cure their bad breath.

• Two hours after eating the crabby patties, 30 customers in Group A and 10 customers in Group B reported having better breath than they normally had after eating crabby patties.

1.Which people are in the control group?2.What is the independent variable?3.What is the dependent variable?4.What should Mr. Krabs’ conclusion be?5.Why do you think 10 people in group B

reported fresher breath?

SpongeBob Clean Pants

SpongeBob noticed that his favorite pants were not as clean as they used to be. His friend Sandy told him that he should try using Clean-O detergent, a new laundry soap she found at Sail-Mart.

SpongeBob made sure to wash one pair of pants in plain water and another pair in water with the Clean-O detergent. After washing both pairs of pants a total of three times, the pants washed in the Clean-O detergent did not appear to be any cleaner than the pants washed in plain water.

6. What was the problem SpongeBob wanted to investigate?

7. What was the control group?8. What is the independent variable?9. What is the dependent variable?10. What should have been some Controls or Constants in this experiment?11. What should Sponge Bob’s conclusion be?

NAME THAT CONCEPT

GROUP 1• Hypothesis• Control Variable or Constants• Independent Variable• Experimental Group• Experiment• Scientific Method

NAME THAT CONCEPT

GROUP 2• Data• Theory• Control Group• Problem / Question• Variable• Dependent Variable

Unit 1 – Section 1.3SI UNITS - International Measuring System (Metrics) - A consistent system; easier to convertTwo Types of Scientific Information / Data:Quantitative - Results are recorded/measured using #’sQualitative - Results are recorded based on explanation or description (words)

Quantitative vs. Qualitative QUANTITATIVE

• Data can be measured

• Length, height, volume, time, speed, age, etc.

• Quantitative Quantity (#’s)

QUALITATIVE

• Data can be observed but not measured.

• Colors, textures, smells, tastes, appearance, beauty, etc.

• Qualitative → Quality (descriptive)

EXAMPLES

QuantitativePainting• Picture 10” x 14”• Frame 14” x 18”• Cost $300• Weights 8.5 pounds

QualitativePainting• blue/green• Gold frame• Smells old and musty• Peaceful scene of

the country

Two Reasons for Doing Experiments

Pure Science - Study is done to learn new things. - Results are recorded and kept for later use.Technology - Using research to meet society’s needs or

solve its problems.