WEEK ONE
SS ONE BIOLOGY
TOPIC: INTRODUCTION TO BIOLOGY
BIOLOGY AS SCIENCE
 Science is the systematic and unbiased study of nat
ural things around us. It is also the systematic
study of natural phenomena in an environment
i.e the study of how things work e.g the study of ho
w plants and animals feed and what they feed on.
 Biology is derived from two Greek words "Bios" wh
ich means life and "logos' which means study or kn
owledge. This simply means that Biology is the stu
dy of life.
 Biology can also be defined as the study of living
things or organisms
BRANCHES OF BIOLOGY
Biology basically has two main branches:
1. Botany- the study of plants
2. Zoology- the study of animals
Other branches include
Anatomy, phisiology, histology, taxonomy, cytology
neurobiology, population biology, biophysics,
genetics, embryology, evolution, ecology,
microbiology e.t.c.
PROCESSES OR METHOD OF SCIENCE
Scientific method is a systematic approach to
investigate inquiries that arise from an observed natur
al phenomenon.
There are numerous ways of studying life scientifically
which include one or more of the following key
elements;
1. Observing
2. Questioning
3. Hypothesis
4. Predicting
5. Testing
6. Interpreting
FATE OF THE FORMULATED HYPOTHESIS
It becomes a theory when it has been tested and fou
nd to repeatedly correc4 within the
limits of available evidence.
2. A theory becomes a law or principle when it
has been extensively tested and proven to be
true.
1.
AN EXPERIMENT
An experiment is an orderly procedure carried out
with the goal of verifying, refuting, or
establishing the validity of a hypothesis.
Experiment provides insight into cause-and-effect b
y demonstrating what outcome occur
when a pa
rticular factor is manipulated.
CONTROLLED EXPERIMENT
 In control experiment all factors or variables
affecting the results of the experiment are kept
constant except the one that is being tested.
 For example, giving fertilizer to half of plants in a
garden. The ones that receive no fertilizer are the c
ontrol group.
 Without a control group, the experiment
cannot determine whether the fertilizer-treated
plants
grow more than they would have if untreated.
HOW TO CONDUCT AN EXPEEIMENT
The steps involved in conducting an experiment incl
ude:
1. Aim
2. Apparatus/equipments
3. Procedure
4. Observation
5. Conclusion
IMPORTANCE OF BIOLOGY
Knowledge of Biology is employed in the
following areas:
1. Medicine
2. Agriculture
3. Technology
4. Industries
CHARACTERISTICS OF LIVING THINGS
Anything that has life can perform the following
activities or processes;
1. Movement
2. Excretion
3. Respiration
4. Reproduction
5. Irritability
Characteristics continue
6. Nutrition
7. Growth
8. Competition
9. Adaptation
10. Life span/death
ASSIGNMENT
State the differences between plants and animals.
NOTE: Submit Assignment upon resumption