| A | B |
|---|
| biology | the study of life |
| organization | the high degree of order within an organism's internal and external parts and in its interactions with the living world |
| cell | in biology, the smallest unit that can perform all life processes; cells are covered by a membrane and contain DNA and cytoplasm |
| unicellular | describes an organism that consists of a single cell |
| multicellular | describes a tissue, organ, or organism that is made of many cells |
| organ | a collection of tissues that carry out a specialized function of the body |
| tissue | a collection of specialized cells and cell products that perform a specific function |
| organelle | one of the small bodies that are found in the cytoplasm of a cell and that are specialized to perform a specific function |
| biological molecule | chemical compound that provides physical structure and brings about movement, energy use, and other cellular functions |
| homeostasis | stable internal conditions of the body |
| metabolism | the sum of all chemical processes that occur in an organism |
| cell division | the formation of two cells from one exisiting cell |
| development | the gene directed process by which an organism matures |
| reproduction | the process of producing offspring |
| gene | a short segment of DNA that contains the instructions for a single trait |
| scientific method | the series of steps followed to solve problems, including collecting data, formulating a hypothesis, testing the hypothesis, and stating the conclusions |
| observation | the process of obtaining information by using the senses; the information obtained by using the senses |
| hypothesis | in science, an idea or explanation that is based on observations and that can be tested |
| prediction | a statement made in advance that expresses the results that will be obtained from testing a hypothesis if the hypothesis is supported; the expected outcome if a hypothesis is accurate |
| experiment | a procedure that is carried out under controlled conditions to discover, demonstrate, or test a fact, thoery or general truth |
| control group | in an experiment, a group that serves as a standard of comparison with another group to which the control group is identical except for one factor, the independent variable |
| experimental group | in an experiment, a group that is identical to a control group except for one factor and that is compared with the control group |
| independent variable | in an experiment, the factor that is deliberately manipulated, also called the manipulated variable |
| dependent variable | in an experiment, the factor that changes as a result of manipulation of one or more other factors; also called a responding variable |
| theory | an explanation for some phenomenon that is based on observation, experimentation and reasoning; that is supported by a large quantity of evidence; and that does not conflict with any existing experimental results or observation |
| peer review | the process in which experts in a given field examine the results and conclusions of a scientist's study before that study is accepted for publication |
| compound light microscope | a microscope that uses light to illuminate a specimen that is then magnified by two lenses |
| eyepiece (ocular lens) | the part of a compound light microscope that magnifies an image, usually 10 times, also called an ocular lens |
| objective lens | the part of a compound light microscope that is located directly above the specimen and that magnifies the image of the specimen |
| stage | a platform of a compound light microscope that supports the slide holding the specimen |
| magnification | the increase of an object's apparent size by using lenses or mirrors |
| nosepiece | the part of a compound light microscope that holds the objective lenses in place above the specimen |
| resolution | in microscopes, the ability to form images with fine detail |
| scanning electron microscope (SEM) | a microscope that produces and enlarged, 3 dimensional image of an object by using a beam of electrons rathern than light |
| transmission electron microscope (TEM) | a microscope that transmits a beam of electrons through a very thin slice of specimen and that can magnify up to 200,000 times |
| metric system | a decimal-based standard system of measurement that is used by scientists |
| base unit | one of the fundamental units of measurement that describes length, mass, time, and other quantities and from which other units are derived |
