ASVAB CampIntegrated Science Review flashcards
8 cards with the formulas, rules and traps from this lesson. Answer in your head, then flip to check.
Term · 1/8
Independent, dependent and controlled variables: what is each?
Independent: the factor the experimenter deliberately changes (fertilizer amount). Dependent: the outcome measured (plant height). Controlled: everything kept the same (seed type, light, water). A measuring tool is not a variable.
Common trap · 2/8
Why doesn't a correlation prove causation?
Two things can change together because a hidden confounder drives both (hot weather raises ice cream sales and sunburns) or because the direction is reversed. Causation needs a controlled experiment, a mechanism and repeatable results.
Term · 3/8
Accuracy versus precision?
Accuracy is closeness to the true value; precision is closeness of repeated readings to each other. A scale reading 251, 251, 252 g for a 200 g weight is precise but not accurate. Averaging trials cannot fix a constant offset.
Term · 4/8
Diffusion versus osmosis: what moves, and which way?
Diffusion: particles spread from higher to lower concentration with no energy needed. Osmosis: water diffuses across a membrane toward the side with more dissolved solute. A cell in a hypertonic (saltier) solution loses water.
Formula · 5/8
Punnett square: what are the offspring odds from crossing Aa x Aa?
AA, Aa, Aa, aa: 1/4 chance of aa (recessive trait) and 3/4 chance of showing the dominant trait. Each offspring is independent, so two aa in a row is .
Common trap · 6/8
Does an individual organism evolve a trait because it needs it?
No. Natural selection acts on inherited variation already present; variants that help survival and reproduction become more common over generations. Populations evolve, individuals do not. Antibiotic resistance spreads this way.
Rule · 7/8
Why do raw counts mislead when groups differ in size?
Compare rates, not totals: always ask 'per what?' 50 cases in a town of 1,000 is 5 percent, while 200 cases in a town of 100,000 is only 0.2 percent.
Common trap · 8/8
Necessary versus sufficient condition?
A necessary condition must be present but may not be enough; a sufficient one guarantees the outcome. Oxygen is necessary for a wood fire but not sufficient, since fuel and heat are also needed.