Answers to Questions Posed in the 5-4-3-2-1 due September 15, 2006

Below are the answers to some of the questions and the things that you'd like to learn more about from the 5-4-3-2-1 due September 15, 2006.

Q: WHY is this 54321 paper so vital?
A: Because I said so. Just kidding. There are several goals of the 54321: 1. Basically, to force you to review your notes at least once a week, so that when you have an exam you have already done some review. 2. To provide a way for you to ask and get questions answered that you may not have thought of or had a chance to ask in class. 3. To push you to think beyond reading a text and perhaps get you interested in various areas of Biology.

Q:How can learning about Biology help us understand the world?
Ernst Mayer, author of This is Biology: Study of the Living World said (much better than I ever could have) "Every educated person should have an understanding of basic biological concepts-evolution, biodiversity, competition, extinction, adaptation, natural selection, reproductive development, and a host of others…Overpopulation, the destruction of the environment, and the malaise of the inner cities cannot be solved by technological advances, nor by literature or history, but by measures that are based on an understanding of the biological roots of these problems."

Q: What is the website to the Chimpz crossing guard. Cause it would
be cool to see.
A: Click here to watch Chimps cross the road.

Q: Why are we not able to dissect pigs or cats?
A: We aren't dissecting pigs or cats because I feel that the intellectual return on dissections is rather low. Yes, dissections are fun, messy and any excuse to cut something up is a good excuse. However, dissections take substantial amounts of time and don't always relate to the "big picture."

Q: What aspects of biology are we going to learn?
A: Each term is structured around a central theme. After we get through the review of the scientific method, the fall theme is Energy (cells, nutrition, photosynthesis and cellular respiration). The winter theme is Evolution of Disease and the spring theme is Biodiversity.

Q: How do you use the metric conversion sheet?
A: Click here for a helpful conversion website.

Q:How often is the scientific method used in the real world?
A: All the time. Scientists are contantly making observations, forming hypotheses and conducting experiments. Look up any scientific article through EBSCO for examples.

Q:Why don't we rearrange the desks so it is not so cramped?
A: If anyone can think of a way to move the desks so that there is more room, by all means, please let me know. The only restriction is that we still need to be able to seat 15 students.

Q: I need to know more ways to make quantitative measurements.
A: Use any measuring device (a ruler, scale, triple beam balance, graduated cylinder, odometer etc.)

Q: What specifically does Biology mean?
A: Study of life, from the Latin bio meaning life/living and logy meaning study of.

Q: What makes a good hypothesis?
Click here to go to sciencebuddies.org for a helpful explanation of what makes a good hypothesis. You can also find an explanation of independent and dependent variables.