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General Biology: Key Concepts and Foundations

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Termini in questo insieme (27)

  • What are the seven characteristics of life?

    Growth, reproduction, response to stimuli, metabolism, homeostasis, cellular organization, and adaptation through evolution.

  • What are the steps in the process of science?

    Observation, question, hypothesis, experiment, data collection, analysis, conclusion, and communication.

  • What is a controlled experiment?

    An experiment where only one variable is changed at a time while others are kept constant to test its effect.

  • Identify dependent and independent variables.

    Independent variable is the factor changed by the experimenter; dependent variable is the factor measured or observed.

  • What is a scientific theory?

    A well-tested explanation that unifies a broad range of observations and hypotheses.

  • How does sample size affect data?

    Larger sample sizes increase reliability and reduce the impact of random errors in data.

  • What does statistically significant data mean?

    Data unlikely to have occurred by chance, indicating a real effect or relationship.

  • What is spontaneous generation?

    The disproven idea that living organisms can arise from nonliving matter spontaneously.

  • What is germ theory?

    The theory that microorganisms are the cause of many diseases.

  • Who is Louis Pasteur?

    A scientist who disproved spontaneous generation and developed germ theory and pasteurization.

  • Describe Pasteur’s germ theory experiment.

    Used swan-neck flasks to show that sterilized broth remained free of microbes unless exposed to contaminated air.

  • What is pasteurization?

    A process of heating liquids to kill harmful microbes without affecting taste or quality.

  • How did Pasteur’s findings influence Lister’s surgical practices?

    Led Lister to use antiseptics to reduce infections during surgery.

  • What is atomic number?

    The number of protons (and electrons in a neutral atom) in an atom.

  • How to calculate the mass number of an atom?

    Sum of protons and neutrons in the nucleus.

  • What classifies an element as an isotope?

    Atoms of the same element with different numbers of neutrons.

  • What is the valence shell and valence electrons?

    The outermost electron shell and the electrons in it that determine chemical bonding.

  • Name three types of chemical bonds and their strength order.

    Covalent bonds (strongest), ionic bonds, and hydrogen bonds (weakest).

  • What are the criteria for hydrogen bond formation?

    Occurs when a hydrogen atom covalently bonded to an electronegative atom is attracted to another electronegative atom.

  • What does polar covalent mean?

    A covalent bond where electrons are shared unequally, creating partial charges.

  • How does water’s polarity help it dissolve substances?

    Water’s partial charges interact with other polar or charged molecules, allowing it to dissolve them.

  • What are the four macromolecules of the cell?

    Carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids.

  • What are monomers and polymers?

    Monomers are small building blocks; polymers are large molecules made of monomers linked together.

  • What are the monomers of DNA?

    Nucleotides composed of a sugar, phosphate group, and nitrogenous base.

  • What bonds hold DNA strands together?

    Hydrogen bonds between complementary nitrogenous bases.

  • What is the structure of an amino acid?

    A central carbon bonded to an amino group, carboxyl group, hydrogen, and a variable side chain.

  • What is the primary structure of a protein?

    The linear sequence of amino acids in a polypeptide chain.