AFOQT General Science Information |84 questions and answers

biology the study of living things botany the study of plants zoology the study of animals earth science covers conditions affecting the earth (weather, climate, the relationship of people to their environment) chemistry a physical science dealing with the composition, structure, and properties of matter; it's also concerned with changes in matter and the energy released during those changes physics a physical science that deals with matter and energy. Gives more attention to mechanical and electrical forces in areas such as light, sounds, heat, motion, and magnetism the scientific method 1. Observation 2. Hypothesis 3. Experiment 4. Theory 5. Principle or Law observations require the accurate viewing and recording of a particular occurrence. The accuracy of one observation or a set of observations is validated or proved when independent observers agree that they see the same set of circumstances, achieve the same experimental results, and so on. Hypothesis a temporary or working conclusions based on a set of observations. A general statement about why the scientist thinks something happens in the way it does. It usually suggests the need for a particular experiment Experiment scientists perform experiments to test a specific hypothesis. Reliable experiments require controlled conditions and careful recording of data. Theory a hypothesis becomes a theory when it is supported by one or more experiments; the original hypothesis is usually modified somewhat based on experimental data before it is acknowledged as a theory. principle or law when a theory is repeatedly confirmed over a long period of time by multiple experiments. homeostasis the balanced internal situation of a cell and the organism as a whole; to stay alive and healthy, cells have to regulate their external and internal fluids based on temperature, acid/base balance, and the amount and type of a number of critical substances All living species have certain characteristics in common 1. All living cells come from pre-existing living cells 2. All cells make and use enzymes, which are substances that start or speed up chemical reactions without themselves being affected or changes 3. The heredity or genetic information of all cells is carried by DNA (deoxyribonucleitic acid) molecules that give cells the ability to reproduce or replicate. DNA make up genes contained in chromosomes, small rod shaped bodies within a cell that control the characteristics that offspring receive from their parents 4. Metabolism refers to the biochemical activities necessary for life carried on by all cells, tissues, organs, and systems 5. A trait or characteristic that lends itself to the survival of an individual or a species is called adaptation 6. the basic unit of classification for living things is the species, which is a group of similar organisms that can mate and produce fertile offspring Life Functions all living organisms, in order to be called "living" must be able to perform certain activities 1. Nutrition 2. Synthesis 3. Circulation 4. Regulation 5. Respiration 6. Excretion 7. Growth 8. Reproduction nutrition the way an organism gets food or nutrients from its environment and uses it as fuel for its growth and continued life. Includes processes of ingestion, (taking in food) digestion, (chemical changes that convert nutrients into a usable form) and assimilation (changing nutrients into protoplasm) synthesis the process by which small molecules are built into larger ones; this causes amino acids (protein building blocks) to be changes into enzymes, hormones, (chemical messengers produced by the endocrine gland that regulate and coordinate the body's activities) and protoplasm circulation the movement of fluid and the dissolved materials it carries throughout the cell or body regulation includes all the processes that control and coordinate the activities of a living organism. Chemical activities inside cells are controlled by hormones, enzymes, vitamins, and minerals. The endocrine and nervous systems of higher (more complex) animals coordinate bodily activities. In plants, auxins and other growth-controlling substances are in charge respiration made up of breathing and cellular respiration. Cellular respiration is a combination of processes that release energy from glucose (sugar) excretion the way that the organism gets rid of waste products. In humans, the kidneys, lungs, and skin are involved in excretion, since they remove urea, carbon dioxide, and water from the blood and body tissues. growth the increase of cell size and/or the increase of cell numbers in an organism. Cell numbers increase when cells divide (replicate) during a sequence of events called mitosis reproduction the way new individuals are produced by parent organisms. It can be either asexual or sexual. Asexual reproduction involves only one parent, which may either divide into two or else produce a new organism from part of the parent cell. Sexual reproduction requires the participation of two parents of opposite sexes; each parent produces special reproductive cells called gametes, which combine with each other to form the starting point for the new individual organism cell the basic structural, functional, growth, and hereditary unit of all forms of life. Its various sizes and shapes give form to the body of more complex organisms. It is also the basic functional unit, acting as a biochemical factory to perform the basic metabolic life functions. As the basic unit of growth, it increases in size and multiples to form an organism of a specific size and shape. As the basic unit of heredity, it produces cells identical to itself that carry the codes for all reproductive information plant kingdom includes species ranging from single-celled organisms to multicellular plants, where different cells are "programmed" to carry out specialized functions. terrestrial land-dwelling (most plants are terrestrial) roots anchor the plant in the soil and absorb nutrients (water and dissolved minerals) from the ground Stems 1. Move water upwards from the roots to the leaves and move dissolved food materials down from the leaves to the roots 2. They produce and support leaves and flowers 3. They provide a way to store food.