Chapter 1 Flashcards
(52 cards)
What is the purpose of the scientific method?
The scientific method answers questions about the unknown through a set process that proves a hypothesis or rejects it.
What are the parts of the scientific method?
Observation–> hypothesis–>Predictions –>Experiments/New observations (if hypothesis is rejected form a new hypothesis) –> Theory.
what is a Hypothesis?
A proposed explanation for observations. A hypothesis must: 1) Be testable 2) make predictions about the obervations.
What are predictions?
An informed guess about an experiment or an observation.
What is experimentation?
The controlled process of testing a hypothesis in an unbiased manner.
What leads to the development of a theory?
Following the scientific process and repeatedly proving a hypothesis.
What is a theory?
An explanation of a natural process backed up by experimentation and observations. (Outcome of the scientific method).
What is an Observation?
Viewing of an event, occurance or simply the world around us.
What is the first law of thermodynamics?
Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed from one form to another.
What is entropy?
The degree of disorder in a system.
What is the second law of thermodynamics?
The degree of disorder in the universe tends to increase. Energy is required to maintain organization.
What are the 4 characteristics of life?
1) Life is complex
2) It Changes in response to enviromental stimuli
3) Reproduction is possible
4) Able to evolve
What Is a controlled experiment?
When only one variable is cahnged at a time to isolate the results.
What is a control Group?
A control group is a group that is separated from the experimental group and cannot be influenced by the independant variable.
What is the purpose of a control group?
To establish a baseline to compare the results of experiment to.
How many variables should you alter at one time in an experiment?
Just one
What was the purpose of Francesco Redi Meat in a jar experiment?
To disprove the current theory that maggots simply appeared in spoiled meat.
What was the purpose of Louis pasteur’s Broth experiments?
He wanted to answer the question can microscopic life arise from non-living matter?
Why do the relative abundances of elements differ between the living and nonliving?
Living organisums can only arise from____ Matter.
Living.
Energy not used to do work is lost as what?
Heat.
What is entropy?
The degree of disorder in a system.
Does entropy always increase or decrease?
Burning fuel and distribution of heat increases entropy. E.g more heat spreading= more particles moving faster= more disorder. Entropy is more likely to increase but if the entropy of one system decreases it must mean that the entropy of another system is increasing. So both is possible but an increase is more likely.
Why does a highly ordered cell appear the violate the second law of thermodynamics? How does this relate to the first law of thermodynamics?
A ordered cell appears to but does not violate the second law because a cell is not it’s own isolated system it is part of an environment. Cells can only harness a portion of energy to do work some is lost in the form of heat. Which increases entrophy.
