Is Orange a living or non-living thing?

[MadScientist]

I am a trained molecular biologist, and I say it is living.


1. I can find cells in the orange. Each cell has a nucleus, and also has functional mitochondria, etc. It is still undergoing respiration and all other cellular activities that is required for any living thing, cell or multicellular.

2. For those who claim that if given food water and air, it cannot survive... How about plant tissue culture, where we take plant cells and pop them into a matrix of nutrients (food and water), then grow little shoots out of them?

Seriously, our kids are going to get confused... The teachers teaching them do not have the sense nor the avenues to provide leeway in reasoning.

The flaw in the question is what is defined as a \"thing\"

My points above show that it is living, period.

But the ambiguity comes from THING... What's a \"thing\"?

Dictionary.com says...

noun
1.
a material object without life or consciousness; an inanimate object.
2.
some entity, object, or creature that is not or cannot be specifically designated or precisely described: The stick had a brass thing on it.
3.
anything that is or may become an object of thought: things of the spirit.
4.
things, matters; affairs: Things are going well now.
5.
a fact, circumstance, or state of affairs: It is a curious thing.


So you see the language issue is quite distinct from the scientific issue here?

Trust me, there are others... Like what is an aim and what is a hypothesis.
The schools have the definition the opposite of how we real scientist use it... Our hypotheses qualifies as the schools' definition of aim, and vice versa.

[kiasiparent]

CMF:

My thought process on this is that a plucked fruit (apple, orange etc) is a non living thing, as (even) if given air, food and water it will not survive.


But seeds (in the fruit or otherwise) would be considered a living thing as (if) they are given air, food and water (ie. suitable conditions) they may be able to survive.

But orange contains seeds.

[hihikitty]

MadScientist:

I am a trained molecular biologist, and I say it is living.


1. I can find cells in the orange. Each cell has a nucleus, and also has functional mitochondria, etc. It is still undergoing respiration and all other cellular activities that is required for any living thing, cell or multicellular.

2. For those who claim that if given food water and air, it cannot survive... How about plant tissue culture, where we take plant cells and pop them into a matrix of nutrients (food and water), then grow little shoots out of them?

Seriously, our kids are going to get confused... The teachers teaching them do not have the sense nor the avenues to provide leeway in reasoning.

The flaw in the question is what is defined as a \"thing\"

My points above show that it is living, period.

But the ambiguity comes from THING... What's a \"thing\"?

Dictionary.com says...

noun
1.
a material object without life or consciousness; an inanimate object.
2.
some entity, object, or creature that is not or cannot be specifically designated or precisely described: The stick had a brass thing on it.
3.
anything that is or may become an object of thought: things of the spirit.
4.
things, matters; affairs: Things are going well now.
5.
a fact, circumstance, or state of affairs: It is a curious thing.


So you see the language issue is quite distinct from the scientific issue here?

Trust me, there are others... Like what is an aim and what is a hypothesis.
The schools have the definition the opposite of how we real scientist use it... Our hypotheses qualifies as the schools' definition of aim, and vice versa.

:udaman:

[verykiasumummy]

atrecord:

Hi,


I'm sure many of you have come across this question before:
Is orange a living or non-living thing?

This came out in DD's test last week. She is in P3.

Does anyone have the answer?

tks.

allow me to give my two cents worth...

if this question is in P3 sci, i would say, the correct answer is :
The orange is once alive. It contains seeds of the orange tree and will grow into new plants if air, water and warmth is given.

the orange fruit belonged to the orange tree, and was part of the tree, which is a living thing. also, when the right conditions (air, water, warmth) are met, it will germinate and grow into new plants. so it is definitely considered living thing.

however if this question is in p5 and p6 exam, the answer will be both, marks to be awarded depends on the supporting reason given together.

Ans 1 :
Yes the orange is a living thing as it contains the seeds of the orange tree that is required for the reproduction of its own kind. When the right conditions air, water and warmth, are given, the seeds will germinate and grow into a seedling, and then an adult plant.

Ans 2 :
No the orange is not a living thing as it does not need air, water and food to survive. Its cells within it cannot reproduce or multiply anymore. It cannot move or respond to changes in the surroundings so it is a non-living thing.

if u would hv asked a sci teacher familiar with pri sci. they would have answered the same..

[atrecord]

Hi all,


Interesting debates and viewpoints since i posted it previously. Anyway, I’ve since found out that such questions cannot be asked anymore, as it is not clear-cut. Teachers should just aske something that is definitely living, or definitely non-living. Cannot ask about something that was once living…

wonder whether I should tell the teacher.

[verykiasumummy]

atrecord:

Hi all,


Interesting debates and viewpoints since i posted it previously. Anyway, I've since found out that such questions cannot be asked anymore, as it is not clear-cut. Teachers should just aske something that is definitely living, or definitely non-living. Cannot ask about something that was once living...

wonder whether I should tell the teacher.

i believe some assmt books still have such questions... anyway sci has always been a question that many debates goes viral..