1. Introduction to Biology
Ms. Evans -Packet 1

2. 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.

3. 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)

4. 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

5. 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.

6. 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

7. Observations & Inferences

8. 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

9. Observations & Inferences

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

14. Graphing Practice