There are only two steps in a dichotomous key. In a key, an organism is divided using contrasting characteristics into smaller and smaller groups. Organisms are eliminated as choices are made.
5
Because there are only two possible answers to each question.
Taxonomy
Each degree of latitude is divided into sixty minutes. Each minute of latitude can be divided into seconds and then those seconds can be divided more.
A dichotomous key works by using a set of questions to eliminate choices until you get down to the one choice you are looking for. Example: frog turtle gator Does your animal have a shell? No-Go to question 2,Yes-Turtle. Does your animal hop for movement? No-go to question 3, Yes-Frog Does your animal have sharp teeth? Yes-Gator Of course, most keys have more than 3 options.
A metric ruler
5
Two.
Dichotomous data are data from outcomes that can be divided into two categories (e.g. dead or alive, pregnant or not pregnant), where each participant must be in one or other category, and cannot be in both.
A dichotomous key is a device that can be used to easily identify an unknown organism. The word dichotomous comes from two Greek words that together mean, "divided in two parts". A dichotomous key consists of a series of two part statements that describe characteristic of organisms. At each step of a dichotomous key the user is presented with two choices. As the user makes a choice about a particular characteristic of an organism they are led to a new branch of the key. Eventually the user will be led to the name of the organism that they are trying to identify.di=2
A dichotomous key is a tool that allows the user to identify the name of items in the natural world, such as trees, wildflowers, mammals, reptiles, rocks, and fish. A Key consists of a series of choices that lead the user to the correct name of a given item. "Dichotomous" means "divided into two parts". Therefore, a dichotomous key always gives two, and only two, choices at each step.
By definition (Dichotomy; division into two parts), a dichotomous key has two choices at each step.
The word dichotomous means to divide in half or to split in to two units. The units may or may not be equal to each other; the term is most often used in biology and botany.
Because there are only two possible answers to each question.
Traditionally identification keys have most commonly taken the form of single- access keys. These work by offering a fixed sequence of identification steps, each with multiple alternatives, the choice of which determines the next step. If each step has only two alternatives, the key is said to be dichotomous, else it is polytomous. Modern multi-access or interactive keys allow the user to freely choose the identification steps and their order.
Taxonomy
A dichotomous key is a special document that allows the reader to 'key out' an organism to some level, sometimes species, sometimes a level above species. Basically a key is a series of double statements. Each double statement has only one possible right answer; either the organism has some trait, or it doesn't. Depending on the answer, you are then taken to the next level of statements, each pair of statements whittles down the possible number of species that your organism could possibly be, and eventually lands you on the species, or genus that your organism is in.
For descriptions of each of the 4 species of lynx click on this link.