BIO 201 Study Guide - Comprehensive Final Exam Guide - Natural Selection, Mutation, Evolution
20 Nov 2018
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Learning objectives: be able to differentiate everyday and scientific definitions of theories, laws, hypotheses and facts. Theories: well substantiated explanations of patterns; processes that explain how (sometimes why) the pattern happens. Facts: patterns that state what occur: be able to differentiate observations and inferences, and explain how they are used in science. Observations are a pattern that only states what occurs while inferences are processes that explain the observations. Inferences are unobservable and it explains why or how the pattern occurs: be able to explain why biologists build models, and how models can help to uncover unobservable mechanisms or processes. Biologists build models because models help bridge the unobservable and the observable world. Models help biologists build explanations of natural phenomena: be able to correct common misconceptions about science and how it works, myth 1: hypotheses become theories, which become laws. Theories can never become laws because laws are consistent patterns that states.
