Biology Introduction Unit Vocabulary

Front 1

observation

Back 1

using one or more of the 5 senses to percieve objects or events

Front 2

control

Back 2

in an experiment, it serves as a standard or comparison with another group to which it identical except for one factor

Front 3

hypothesis

Back 3

a statement that can be tested

Front 4

experiment

Back 4

the process of testing a hypothesis or prediciton by gathering data under controlled conditions

Front 5

theory

Back 5

a broad and comprehensive statement of what is thought to be true

Front 6

magnification

Back 6

the increase of an objects apparent size

Front 7

resolution

Back 7

the power to show details clearly

Front 8

light microscope

Back 8

a microscope which uses a source of light (mirror or lamp) to magnify objects

Front 9

electron microscope

Back 9

a microscope which uses a beam of electrons to magnify objects

Front 10

atom

Back 10

the simplest particle of an element that retains all of the properties of that element

Front 11

neutron

Back 11

a particle with no electric charge

Front 12

proton

Back 12

particle with a positive electrical charge

Front 13

electron

Back 13

small negitively charged particle

Front 14

element

Back 14

a substance that cannot be broken down to form simpler kinds of matter

Front 15

compound

Back 15

a pure substance made up of atoms of two or more elements

Front 16

mass number

Back 16

the sum of the protons and neutrons in an atom

Front 17

atomc number

Back 17

the number of protons in an atom

Front 18

covalent bond

Back 18

a bond that forms when two atoms share one or more pairs of electrons

Front 19

ionic bond

Back 19

a bond formed by electrical attraction between two oppositely charged ions

Front 20

hydrogen bond

Back 20

a weak chemical bond between the hydrogen atom in one molecule and a negitively charged region of another molecule

Front 21

cohesion

Back 21

the attraction of like molecules to eachother

Front 22

adhesion

Back 22

the attractive force between unlike substances

Front 23

acid

Back 23

a solution in which the number of hydronium ions is greater than the number of hydroxide ions

Front 24

base

Back 24

a solution with more hydroxide ions than hydronium ions

Front 25

solution

Back 25

a mixture in which one or more substances are uniformly distributed in another substance

Front 26

solute

Back 26

the substance dissolved in the solution

Front 27

solvent

Back 27

the substance in which the solute is dissolved

Front 28

monomer

Back 28

a repeated, single molecule unit in a polymer

Front 29

polymer

Back 29

a compound consisting of repeated linked monomers

Front 30

macromolecule

Back 30

a very large organic molecule composed of many smaller molecules

Front 31

fatty acid

Back 31

unbranched carbon chains that make up most lipids

Front 32

proteins

Back 32

organic compounds composed mainly of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen

Front 33

amino acids

Back 33

a carboxylic acid with an amino group; one of 20 monomers that form proteins

Front 34

nucleic acids

Back 34

an organic molecule, DNA or RNA, that stores and carries important information for cell function

Front 35

nucleotides

Back 35

a monomer of DNA and RNA, consisting of a nitrogen base, a sugar, and a phosphate group