What is Science? - Chapter 1

• Digital exam using Respondus Lockdown Browser via Canvas consisting of 35 questions.
• Questions include multiple-choice, matching, short answer, and short essay/free response.
• Exam is worth 70 total points.
• One handwritten index card is allowed and will be collected and not returned.

What is Science?

• Chapter 1 defines key vocabulary, focusing on bolded terms to use in written answers.
• Abiotic factors are non-living, while biotic factors are living.
• All living things share major characteristics.
• Homeostasis is the maintenance of a stable internal environment.
• Scientific hypotheses differ from experimental predictions.
• An experimental group receives treatment, while the control group does not.
• Identify the independent, dependent, and controlled variables.
• Quantitative data is numerical while qualitative data is descriptive.
• Biological studies favor quantitative data for its precision.
• Data tables should be appropriate for the experimental scenario.
• CER stands for Claim, Evidence and Reasoning.
• CER is used to analyze data and draw conclusions from tables or graphs.

Ecology

• Levels of ecological organization are interconnected.
• Examples for each level can be determined from a picture of an ecosystem.
• Abiotic factors are nonliving and influence living things.
• The four spheres are interconnected, impacting climate change.
• Climate differs from weather, where climate is long-term trends.
• Analyzing graphs, tables, descriptions, or images can show either climate or weather patterns.
• Climate data is more helpful for studying global warming trends.
• The greenhouse effect is beneficial but is intensified by human activities.
• Natural climate change patterns include seasons and ice ages.
• Data informs our understanding of climate change.
• Human activities impact climate change patterns on Earth.
• Albedo is connected to global warming and the greenhouse effect.
• Color impacts the albedo of a surface.
• Melting glaciers decrease albedo which accelerates climate change.
• Energy moves through ecosystems via food chains.
• Producers, consumers, and decomposers are primary roles for an ecosystem.
• The ultimate source of energy in ecosystems is the sun.
• Autotrophs produce their own food, while heterotrophs consume others.
• Carnivores eat meat, herbivores eat plants, omnivores eat both, and decomposers break down organic matter.
• Arrows in a food web represent energy flow, with the direction indicating the flow's path.
• Only around 10% of energy is transferred from one trophic level to the next.

Reproductive Anatomy

• Male reproductive system: testes produce sperm
• Female reproductive system: egg production and menstrual cycles

Biochemistry

• Atoms' structure includes protons, neutrons, and electrons.
• The periodic table provides information about elements, including the number of neutrons.
• The number of electrons that fit in the first three shells is fixed.
• The valence shell is crucial for bonding.
• Atoms become ions when they gain or lose electrons and electronegativity impacts covalent bonds.
• Water is an example of a polar molecule because of its properties.
• Monomers link to form polymers through chemical reactions.
• Polymers break down into monomers by chemcial reactions.
• The four macromolecules are carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids.
• Each macromolecule contains specfic monomers.
• Saturated lipids differ structurally from unsaturated lipids and behave differently at varied temperatures.
• Nucleotides compose nucleic acids and amino acids compose proteins.
• Proteins have four levels of structure: primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary.
• Each macromolecule has main fucntions for living organisms.
• Chemical reactions involve reactants and products.
• Endergonic reactions absorb energy, while exergonic reactions release it.
• Activation energy is the energy required to start a reaction.
• Enzymes lower the activation energy of chemical reactions.
• Enzymes work by lowering the activation energy of a chemical reaction.
• Enzyme shape is vital for function, and denaturation affects it.
• The Lock and Key model describes enzyme-substrate specificity.
• Temperature can affect enzyme activity, with high heat leading to denaturation.

The Cell: Structure & Function, Cell Membrane, & Transport

• Microscopes magnify and resolve images.
• Focus slides using adjustment knobs.
• Wet mount slides prepare specimens for viewing.
• Prokaryotic cells lack a nucleus, while eukaryotic cells have one.
• Plant and animal cells differ with organelles.
• Cell membranes are mainly composed of phospholipids and proteins.
• Cholesterol maintains membrane functionality.
• A cell membrane's primary job is to control what enters & exits the cell
• Cell membranes have hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions.
• Passive transport does not require energy.
• Diffusion moves molecules down a concentration gradient.
• Simple diffusion is a net movement of dissolved particles from high to low concentration.
• Facilitated diffusion uses transport proteins.
• Osmosis is the diffusion of water across a membrane.
• Water moves via protein channels called aquaporins during osmosis.
• Hypertonic solutions have higher solute concentrations.
• Hypotonic solutions have lower solute concentrations.
• Isotonic solutions have equal solute concentrations.

Chapter 1 defines key science vocabulary such as abiotic and biotic factors, and the characteristics of living things, including homeostasis. Learn the difference between scientific hypotheses and experimental predictions, and the roles of control and experimental groups. Identify independent, dependent, and controlled variables, and understand the importance of quantitative vs qualitative data.