BIO 104 Exam 1 Questions and Answers
Describe the steps of the scientific method - Answer -- Observe
- Ask a question about your observations
- Propose an answer to your questions or explanation for your observations (=
hypothesis) based upon what you already know about the natural world
- Make a prediction: "if my hypothesis is correct, then in my experiment, I predict that I
will observe....."
- Test your prediction (experimentation, directed study)
- Interpret the outcome (draw conclusions)
- Revise hypothesis and re-test? Reject completely and seek an alternative? Tentatively
accept hypothesis?
Hypothesis - Answer -a statement that proposes an explanation for a single natural
phenomenon, or an answer to a single question about how the natural world works.
Prediction - Answer -what the outcome of your scientific experiment/study will be if your
hypothesis is correct. Your prediction relates directly to the data you plan to collect
Theory - Answer -A general concept that serves as a broad explanation for a set of
related phenomena. It provides a framework for generating hypotheses about those
related phenomena.
If a hypothesis appears to be true despite many efforts to disprove or falsify it, it
becomes... - Answer -a theory or part of a theory
In science can you always prove 100% that something is true? - Answer -No, you can
only prove that something is false
Law - Answer -a uniform or constant fact that describes what happens in nature (e.g.
Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation)
T/F: Laws themselves are hypotheses that have been so well-supported that they are
accepted as fact, and laws can also be mathematical truths, and thus cannot be
rejected - Answer -True
T/F: If we eliminate/falsify hypotheses, then all progress is gone - Answer -False, most
progress in science is made when we eliminate/falsify hypotheses
All scientific claims MUST be supported by - Answer -observable evidence
, T/F: Evidence ALWAYS takes precedence over authority - Answer -True
Confirmation bias - Answer -a tendency to search for or interpret information in a way
that confirms one's preconceived notions
Science is a ... - Answer -systematic process by which we come to understand the
natural world
Science Criteria - Answer -- Science invokes natural laws to explain natural phenomena
> Allows testable predictions
- Science rigorously tests its understanding of nature
> Science seeks to support or disprove explanations based upon empirical evidence
(empirical = observable, verifiable)
> Scientists are necessarily skeptical
> Science is self-correcting
Scientific Method (simplified) - Answer -Observe
Question
Hypothesis
Predication
Experiment
Analyze
Conclusion
Atoms - Answer -Basic unit of matter, consist of atomic particles
Elements - Answer -unique fundamental materials that cannot be converted into simpler
form by conventional means. Very basic
Elements exist in units called - Answer -atoms
T/F: Living things are composed of a non-random subset of the elements available on
Earth. - Answer -True
Isotopes - Answer -atoms of the same element with different number of neutrons (and
therefore different mass but same charge).
Radioactivity - Answer -Atoms with extra neutrons can be unstable and emit energy and
particles until they reach a stable form
Half life - Answer -the time it takes for half of the material in a radioactive sample to
decay. This time is constant for each radioactive isotope.
Atomic number - Answer -the number of protons in an atom's nucleus
Describe the steps of the scientific method - Answer -- Observe
- Ask a question about your observations
- Propose an answer to your questions or explanation for your observations (=
hypothesis) based upon what you already know about the natural world
- Make a prediction: "if my hypothesis is correct, then in my experiment, I predict that I
will observe....."
- Test your prediction (experimentation, directed study)
- Interpret the outcome (draw conclusions)
- Revise hypothesis and re-test? Reject completely and seek an alternative? Tentatively
accept hypothesis?
Hypothesis - Answer -a statement that proposes an explanation for a single natural
phenomenon, or an answer to a single question about how the natural world works.
Prediction - Answer -what the outcome of your scientific experiment/study will be if your
hypothesis is correct. Your prediction relates directly to the data you plan to collect
Theory - Answer -A general concept that serves as a broad explanation for a set of
related phenomena. It provides a framework for generating hypotheses about those
related phenomena.
If a hypothesis appears to be true despite many efforts to disprove or falsify it, it
becomes... - Answer -a theory or part of a theory
In science can you always prove 100% that something is true? - Answer -No, you can
only prove that something is false
Law - Answer -a uniform or constant fact that describes what happens in nature (e.g.
Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation)
T/F: Laws themselves are hypotheses that have been so well-supported that they are
accepted as fact, and laws can also be mathematical truths, and thus cannot be
rejected - Answer -True
T/F: If we eliminate/falsify hypotheses, then all progress is gone - Answer -False, most
progress in science is made when we eliminate/falsify hypotheses
All scientific claims MUST be supported by - Answer -observable evidence
, T/F: Evidence ALWAYS takes precedence over authority - Answer -True
Confirmation bias - Answer -a tendency to search for or interpret information in a way
that confirms one's preconceived notions
Science is a ... - Answer -systematic process by which we come to understand the
natural world
Science Criteria - Answer -- Science invokes natural laws to explain natural phenomena
> Allows testable predictions
- Science rigorously tests its understanding of nature
> Science seeks to support or disprove explanations based upon empirical evidence
(empirical = observable, verifiable)
> Scientists are necessarily skeptical
> Science is self-correcting
Scientific Method (simplified) - Answer -Observe
Question
Hypothesis
Predication
Experiment
Analyze
Conclusion
Atoms - Answer -Basic unit of matter, consist of atomic particles
Elements - Answer -unique fundamental materials that cannot be converted into simpler
form by conventional means. Very basic
Elements exist in units called - Answer -atoms
T/F: Living things are composed of a non-random subset of the elements available on
Earth. - Answer -True
Isotopes - Answer -atoms of the same element with different number of neutrons (and
therefore different mass but same charge).
Radioactivity - Answer -Atoms with extra neutrons can be unstable and emit energy and
particles until they reach a stable form
Half life - Answer -the time it takes for half of the material in a radioactive sample to
decay. This time is constant for each radioactive isotope.
Atomic number - Answer -the number of protons in an atom's nucleus
