Honors Biology
Ch.1 Characteristic of Life and Process of Science
Notes
LT#1a “I can define biology.”
Biology is defined as the study of life (or living things.)
LT#1b “I can describe the differences between living and
non-living things.”
Living things possess ALL of the characteristics of life.
Non-living things don’t possess all of the characteristics of life.
Non-living: rocks, viruses, air, water, wind, sunlight, earth,
minerals, electricity, heat, elements,
LT#1c Characteristics of Life
Metabolism: organisms must take in nutrients for fuel
Growth and Development: adding more cells, cells specializing
for a task
*Evolution/Change in a population over time
Response to environment
Homeostasis: Maintaining a steady state
Cells: The basic unit of life.
Reproduction: Making offspring, sexually or asexually (clones)
*Organization: DNA and subsystems that contribute to the whole.
Activity: Use the letter of each of these words, in any order, to
create a pneumonic aid for remembering the characteristics of
life. (allow 5 min.)
LT#1d I can explain why viruses are not considered living.
Create a T-chart to list the characteristics of life that viruses have and don’t have.
Have
Don’t Have
LT#2 The Process of Science
1.7a Describe the goals and limits of scientific investigations.
Science: latin for “to know.”

Goals: seeks natural causes for natural phenomena

limited to the study of structures and processes that we can
observe and measure, either directly or with the help of tools.
Must be repeatable by others.

distinguishes science from faith
Mrs. Loyd 
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1.7b Compare discovery science and hypothesis-based science.

Discovery science:
o mostly about describing nature (monarch caterpillar
observations, for example)
o verifiable observations and measurements
o describes life at its many levels, biosphere to cells and molecules.
o example: sequencing of human genome because it is dissection and description of human DNA.
o uses inductive reasoning. (specific to general)

Hypothesis-based:
To help you understand how people can KNOW
o mostly about explaining nature
when a hypothesis becomes a theory, try to answer
o using deductive reasoning (general to specific)
these TriBond questions.
o test predictions
What do these three things have in common?
1.7 Define a hypothesis
Example:
Hypothesis: a proposed explanation for a set of observations. Leads to
Q: A car, a tree, an elephant.
prediction.
A: They all have trunks.
Pull the text box border down for more riddles and
1.8 Explain how deductive reasoning is part of hypothesis-based
the answers!
science.
A kite, a dog, a storyteller.

Reasoning from general to specific
Noah’s ark, a fruit stand, a sock drawer

needed to come up with ways to test the hypothesis
A cavity, a doughnut, a prescription
Eggs, bricks, carpets
Theory: An advanced hypothesis. Explains a great diversity of
A person, a watch, a mountain.
observations and is supported by a large and usually growing body of
Cards, chess, proms.
evidence. Generates more hypotheses to test.
A wagon, a weed, a practical joke.
The Earth, an apple, a nuclear reactor.
Law: A "law" is a readily observable fact about something. It is
something that is obvious and undeniable: the second law of
Answers: Pull down box border to see answers
thermodynamics. No theory “advances” in certainty to become a law.
TEDed talk: Theory vs. Law http://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-s-theThey all have tails (tales).
difference-between-a-scientific-law-and-theory-matt-anticole
They all have pairs (pears)
1.8b Describe the structure of a controlled experiment and give an
example.
They are all filled.

Hypothesis
o deductive reasoning
They are all laid.
 “If (the independent variable), then (the dependent variable).”
 “If the batteries are dead and I replace them with new ones,
They all have faces.
then the flashlight will work.
 When the null hypothesis is reached, rework the hypothesis
They all have queens.
and try again.
 “If the light bulb is burned out and I replace the bulb with a new
They are all pulled.
one, then the flashlight will work.
o testable
They all have cores.
o falsifiable (usually a control group)
o never proven true.
o gains credibility by surviving various attempts to falsify it.
Biology and Everyday Life
1.9a Compare the goals of science and technology.

Science: to understand natural phenomenon, “Discoveries” “Can we
do this?”

Technology: to apply scientific knowledge for a specific purpose.
“Inventions” “Should we do this?”

1.9b Explain why an understanding of science is essential to our lives.
Science and technology have become such powerful aspects of society,
every citizen has a responsibility to develop a reasonable amount of scientific literacy.
Mrs. Loyd 
cschmittloyd@waukeeschools.org
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Observational Science Activity
Observations are facts, not opinions. Facts do not allow for interpretation.
Observation vs. Inference
An observation is a fact while an inference is an interpretation
of facts.
Relative Terms
Relative terms are open to interpretation because it depends
on what you compare it to. For example, if you say that, “It’s
hot in here.” It depends on whether you are comparing it to a
sauna or a walk-in freezer.
Change the following relative terms into factual terms to make
valid observations:
Hot
vs. gives off heat or 102 C
vs. can be scratched with a fingernail
Or, partially melted
Soft
vs. approximate dimensions
Small
“Observations” Activity 12 minutes
Work in your lab group and use the samples at the lab stations
and one piece of paper per group to practice making valid
observations (without relative terms). You are describing the
contents only; skip size descriptions. I am looking for some (45) key terms to differentiate between the samples.
Qualitative vs. Quantitative
Scientists usually quantify observations whenever possible.
When a qualitative description is used, the comparison is given
(Mohs’ hardness scale: hard as talc or diamond) or a standard
is used (color chart for soil color or pH paper).
Mrs. Loyd 
cschmittloyd@waukeeschools.org
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Try changing the following into a quantified expression:
Red light
vs. wavelength of light
Denser than water
vs. specific gravity
Gives off heat
vs. calories/gram
Gives off light
vs. # of candles or absolute magnitude
or lumens
Scientific Method
Observation/Inference
Hypothesis
Experimentation (observ. / inferences (concl.))
Prediction
Communication
Draw a Diagram
It would be more accurate to represent this as a circle diagram
rather than a rigid set of steps. Also, because it is a cycle, you
can jump in just about anywhere. What do you think it should look
like? You may work in your lab group again.
Hypothesis
Microscope Lab
You will perform a lab activity in which you will be directed to
practice and study several aspects of microscopes.
This will be tested using a lab practical and questions on your test.
A lab practical involves demonstrating a skill or using actual
materials and equipment.
“I can find and focus on an onion root tip using a prepared slide
and a microscope.”
Mrs. Loyd 
cschmittloyd@waukeeschools.org
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