What is Classification in Science?
It is the act or process of classifying or putting similar things into the same category.
Example of Classification
There are billions of different kinds of living things (or organisms) on earth. To help study them, biologists have devised ways of naming and classifying them according to their similarities and differences.
The system most scientists use puts each living thing into seven groups organized from most general to most specific. |
From largest to smallest, these groups are:
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Kingdoms are huge groups, that include millions of kinds of organisms each. All animals are in one kingdom, called Kingdom Animalia.
Species are the smallest groups. A species consists of all the animals of the same type, who are able to breed and produce young of the same kind. For example, while any two great white sharks are in the same species, as are any two makos, great whites and makos are in different species (since they can't interbreed).
A Sample Classification The lion belongs to the following groups:
Species are the smallest groups. A species consists of all the animals of the same type, who are able to breed and produce young of the same kind. For example, while any two great white sharks are in the same species, as are any two makos, great whites and makos are in different species (since they can't interbreed).
A Sample Classification The lion belongs to the following groups:
- Kingdom Animalia (includes all animals)
- Phylum Chordata (includes all vertebrate animals, as well as some other more primitive ones)
- Class Mammalia (includes all mammals)
- Order Carnivora (includes carnivorous mammals, from bears to raccoons to harbor seals)
- Family Felidae (includes all cats)
- Genus Panthera (includes the great roaring cats: lions, tigers, jaguars, and leopards)
- Species leo (lions!)
Ways of Classifying
Single Stage Multistage Serial Ordering |
Items are separated into two or three groups on a single level. (Example: Mammals and Non-Mammals) Items are separated into multiple groups on several levels, and potentially into various subsets. Example: You want to conduct a survey of salespeople for a nationwide retail chain with stores all over the country. You could randomly select states, randomly select counties in each state, randomly select stores in each county, and randomly select salespeople in those stores. Objects are placed in order by their properties. Example: Smallest to large. (Example: 3 year old, 6 year old, 9 year old) |