Stimulus

Real World Example

Imagine you're peacefully watching TV, and suddenly, your phone buzzes with a notification. Just as the phone notification grabs your attention and prompts you to check your phone, a stimulus in science refers to anything in the environment that causes an organism to react. In this analogy, the phone notification is like a stimulus triggering a reaction, and your attention and subsequent action to check the phone mirrors how organisms respond to stimuli in their environment.