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BIOL 101 Study Guide
- Course
- BIOL 101
- Institution
- Virginia Commonwealth University
Study Guide 1 - Lecture notes 1-10 for Biol 101.
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Study Guide for Biology 101 (Exam #1)Defining science: Both as a body of knowledge, and a process.
- Science is a way of knowing things; it is a process that uses to the Scientific Method to
gain new knowledge.
- Science is a body of knowledge; a collection of insights about nature that have been
obtained by using the scientific method.
How is the term “theory” different in science than casual conversation?
- A scientific theory is a unified explanation of some aspect of the natural world, that
explains the results of many experiments.
The Scientific Method: Steps and Cyclic Nature
1) Make observations, and read previous literature
2) Make a hypothesis about what you see and read
3) Test your hypothesis by performing experiments
4) Analyze your data; Does it support or refute your hypothesis?
5) Do more experiments and analysis
6) Communicate your findings
- Observe
- Sample
- Population
- IV
- DV
- Hypothesize
- Alternative Hypothesis (relationship between x and y/IV and DV)
- Null Hypothesis (no correlation between x and y/IV and DV)
- Collect & Analyze
- Mean (average)
- Standard Deviation (how much variation/distribution of #’s)
- Communicate
- Primary Source
- Peer reviewed journals
- Objective
Scientific communications: What does “peer-reviewed journal article” mean?
- Scientists communicate their findings in peer reviewed journal articles.
- The most prestigious journals to have your biology research published in are Science and
Nature. More distinguished journals have higher impact factors.
- Scientific journal articles have a general structure: Abstract, Introduction, Materials and
Methods, Results, Discussion/Conclusions, and References.
- Scientific journal articles are only published after critical and rigorous peer review.
Know the difference between subjective and objective observations
Objective: one that is not influenced by emotions, opinions, or personal feelings - it is a
, perspective based in fact, in things quantifiable and measurable.
- Subjective: a perspective in which one is open to greater interpretation based on personal
feeling, emotion, aesthetics, etc.
Know the difference between precision and accuracy
- Accuracy describes the difference between the measurement and the part's actual value.
- Precision describes the variation you see when you measure the same part repeatedly
with the same device.
What is biology? (Study of life)
- Bio (root) logy (suffix) - the study of life
Two major theories underlying biology: Cell theory, Evolution
The Cell Theory
i) The cell is the fundamental unit of life
ii) All cells come from previous, pre-existing cells
b) The Theory of Evolution
i) Evolution is the source of biodiversity
ii) Species chance and diverge through time (i.e: a branching tree)
- By looking at these two common theories, one can come to the conclusion that all
organisms have an ancient common ancestor
Characteristics of living things
A high degree of organization
- Containing materials found only in living organisms
- Acquiring and using energy
- Maintaining homeostasis (a constant internal environment)
- Sensing the environment
- Responding to external stimuli
- Adapting to the environment and altering the environment
- Altering the environment
- Reproducing
- **The eight properties of life include: order, sensitivity or response to stimuli,
reproduction, adaptation, growth and development, regulation, homeostasis, and energy
processing
Hierarchy of organization of life (atoms -->molecules-->cells, etc.)
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