Introduction to Biology Ms. Evans -Packet 1

Don’t forget to log into Blackboard for the following items: Homework - a list of your homework assignments with due dates Course Documents – contains most of the documents I hand out in class so if you lose them, you can print another copy from here. Announcements – Contains links to Quizlet for test review Practice Tests – contains practice tests for each unit.

Warm –up: What is Biology??? I. What is Biology? bio = –ology = , therefore biology is LIFE STUDY OF the study of life. Characteristics of Life Cells ---------------------------------------------- Obtain energy, release waste Species change over time (evolve) DNA Reproduce Respond to Stimuli Growth & Development Gas exchange Maintain homeostasis (balance)

Notes: The Scientific Process II. Steps of the Scientific Process OBSERVATIONS, QUESTIONS & ID THE PROBLEM RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS DESIGN AND CONDUCT AN EXPERIMENT RECORD DATA ANALYZE DATA & DRAW A CONCLUSION REPEAT EXPERIMENT TO VERIFY and REPORT RESULTS

Parts of the Experiment Part of the experiment Definition Identify this in the Seed Lab or manipulated variable the ONE thing you change in the setup or responding variable Data or what you measure group Group that does not receive treatment. What you compare your results back to. Group(s) that receive the treatment (test groups). variables (constants) Things that are kept the same between all the setups INDEPENDENT AMOUNT OF WATER # SEEDS GERMINATED AND APPEARANCE OF SEEDS DEPENDENT CONTROL SEEDS WITHOUT WATER SEEDS WITH DIFFERENT AMOUNTS OF WATER EXPERIMENTAL STANDARDIZED # OF SEEDS, LOCATION OF SEEDS, SAME TYPE PAPER TOWEL.

Additional things to note: 2 criteria for a hypothesis are: Ex: If a plant is grown under white light, then it will grow more rapidly than a plant under green light because green light is reflected by plants and not absorbed. 2 types of data: Quantitative data = ; Qualitative data = TESTABLE & MEASURABLE WORDS (# SEEDS SPROUTED) APPEARANCE OF SPROUTS NUMBERS

Observations & Inferences

Hypothesis, Theory, Law, Observation & Inference what’s the difference? Term Definition Example An educated guess about what you think will happen. A very well supported explanation of something that has been observed. It tries to explain why something is happening. It can never really be proven, just highly supported by data. A description of something that has been observed. It is known to be true. A statement based on what you see. Does not try to explain. A logical interpretation of what you see based on prior knowledge. If….then….because…. HYPOTHESIS Theory of Evolution – organisms change over time. THEORY Law of Superposition LAW The wasp has orange antennae OBSERVATION The wasp is carrying the spider. INFERENCE

Observations & Inferences

Organizing Data Line & Bar Graphs – shows the relationship between two variables Independent variable –placed on the X-AXIS (horizontal axis). Dependent variable – always placed on the Y-AXIS (vertical axis). LEGEND OR KEY – must be used if you want to compare two or more sets of data, multiple lines. This distinguishes one set of data from the other(s). TITLE – tells what the graph is about and should be a concise statement. SCALE – the scale on both the x and y-axis usually begin with zero (some exceptions include time/dates). Values must increase by equal spacing and the same numeric intervals. Do the X and Y axes have to have the same scale (i.e. jump by the same interval)? ______ NO

Growth of the plant (cm) Which plant grew the tallest? __________________________________ How many plants grew to be at least 6 cm tall? ____________________ Which plant grew the fastest in the first five days? __________________ What is the dependent variable? ________________________________ After 10 days, how much had plant 3 grown? ______________________ How long did it take for plant 1 to grow 6 cm? ______________________ Why is it a benefit to put multiple lines on one graph? ________________ Plant 2 All 3 Plant 3 Growth of the plant (cm) 6cm 15 days Comparison

Graphing Warm-up: Given the information below make a line graph. Plants are able to make their own food through a process called photosynthesis. One of the products of photosynthesis is oxygen. When plants are under water they release the oxygen in the form of gas bubbles. The more bubbles a plant produces, the more productive it is. The following data table shows a comparison of the number of bubbles produced between two different kinds of plants found in Lake Gaston. Data Table: Productivity of two plants found in Lake Gaston at various depth. Depth in meters Number of Bubbles per Minute: Plant A Number of Bubbles per Minute: Plant B 2 29 21 10 45 40 16 32 50 25 20 34

Graphing Practice