INTRODUCTION

WELCOME

Welcome to the A.P. Biology Blog.  This is the place where you can find information that you've missed, test and assignment dates, and ask questions about the material presented (Just use the comments.).
So let's get started:
 

Read:  Chapter 1 of the text.  Pay particular attention to pages 10 - 13.
 

Assignment #1:  Due Monday September 3 - Design an Experiment.  The writeup for this including an Introduction, Hypothesis Statement, Materials, and Procedure can be done by you as an individual or with a partner.  Remember, you will be performing this experiment, so make it "do-able."

NOTES:

A classically designed scientific experiment will always contain at least two groups:  1) THE EXPERMENTAL GROUP/S - This is the group that has the experimental variable added to it and you expect this group to be affected; and 2) THE CONTROL GROUP/S - This is the group that you do NOT add the experimental variable to and you expect it to act "normally."  A control group is always necessary in order to allow for comparison of what will happen if a group of individuals is NOT experimented with.

There are also two types of variables in every experiment.  Variables are defined as ANY characteristic of an experiment that can affect its outcome.  There are 2 types of variables in every experiment: 1) THE EXPERIMENTAL VARIABLE/S - This is the one that will alter the affect the way your hypothesis predicts (the microwaved water).  Try and hold your experimental variables to a minimum, preferably ONE. These variables will change from group to group. And, 2) THE CONTROL VARIABLES - These are kept the same from individual to individual, group to group.  You do NOT want these variables to affect the result of your experiment (same soil, same container, same amount of water, etc.).