Scientific Method and Characteristics of Life

Which axis is used for the dependent variable?

Y axis

species

a group of living things that can reproduce by interbreeding.

ecosystem

a group of populations and the nonliving things that affect them

Inference

a guess based on observations

organism

a living thing

Control group

a part of the experiment or a trial that does not include the independent variable, it is used for comparison in an experiment

Hypothesis

a prediction for the possible outcome of an experiment

Theory

a proposed answer for a scientific question which is supported by a large body of evidence.

experiment

a test of a hypothesis

DNA

a universal code which makes up the genetic material of organisms.

multicellular

adjective that describes an organism that is made of many cells: example tree

unicellular

adjective that describes an organism that is made of one cell, example: bacteria

development

all of the changes that an organism experiences through out its lifetime

adaptation

an inherited trait which gives an advantage to an organism in a population.

controlled variables

any thing in an experiment which must not change

biosphere

area around earth which supports life, includes air, water, soil

Which type of graph is appropriate for non-numerical categories?

bar graph

cell

basic unit of life

evolution

changes in the genetic make up of populations over time

quantitative data

data that is measured in numbers

qualitative data

data that is measured in words or pictures

stimulus

something that causes a response

metabolism

the chemical reactions that keep organisms alive by building up and breaking down materials

dependent variable

the data collected in an experiment

biodiversity

the number of different living things in an area

biology

the study of life

independent variable

the variable that is changed or tested by experimentors

In a line graph or scatter plot, which variable goes on the x axis?

Independent variable

If you would like to determine if a correllation exists between 2 sets of data, the best type of graph would be a ____________ ____________

LIne graph

homeostasis

maintaining constant internal conditions in an organism such as temperature, pH, amount of water etc.

Which type of graph is good for representing data which is presented as a percentage of a whole?

pie graph

reproduction

producing new individuals, which passes DNA on to offspring