Biology is the study of life. All living things share characteristics like being made of cells, growing, obtaining and using energy, and responding to their environment. Scientists use biology to help solve problems like preserving the environment, improving food supply, understanding genetics, and fighting diseases. The scientific method involves observing the natural world, asking questions, proposing hypotheses to explain observations, experimenting to test hypotheses, and drawing conclusions. Key parts of an experiment include a control group, experimental group, independent variable, and dependent variable. A theory is formed when repeated experiments consistently confirm a hypothesis.
5. All living things are made of cells 2. All living things grow and develop . 3. All living things obtain and use energy to run life processes . (metabolism) 4. All living things respond to changes in their external environment. a. Homeostasis – maintenance of stable internal environment by the cells. 5. All living things can reproduce .
12. Observation is the basis for scientific research. 2. Stages of the scientific method: a. Observing the world around you b. Asking questions c. Propose a hypothesis – a possible explanation for a problem. d. Perform an experiment , a planned procedure to test a hypothesis. e. Draw a conclusion that supports or rejects the hypothesis
13. Parts of an experiment: (Ex: see if plants grow better if they are given fertilizer) a. Control group – the group in the experiment that receives no experimental treatment. (one plant that gets no fertilizer) b. Experimental group – the group in the experiment that receives some type of experimental treatment. (one plant that gets the fertilizer.) 1. independent variable – factor that is changed in an experiment. (fertilizer) 2. dependent variable – variable that is measured in an experiment. (height of the plant)
14. 4. Theory – formed when repeated experiments confirm a hypothesis over and over again. A theory unites and explains a broad range of observations.