Studied by 1 person
You need to be able to do the following:
Handle materials and equipment safely.
Follow instructions carefully.
Change how you carry out each step of an equipment, depending on what happened the time before.
Following:
If a bunsen burner is alight, but not in use, always leave it on the yellow flame setting so that the flame can be seen.
Make sure that bunsen and tripods have a heatproof mat underneath.
Give a hot tripod plenty of time to cool down before attempting to move it.
Don't attempt to move a tripod when there is a beaker resting on it.
Following:
Don't put glass thermometers where they can roll off the bench.
Keep glass thermometers away from bunsen flames.
Mercury, used in some thermometers, is toxic. If a thermometer breaks and mercury runs out, don't handle it: ask for help from your lab assistant/technician or teacher.
Following:
Never attempt to push glass tubing (or glass thermometers) through a hole in a bung. The laboratory technician has a special tool for doing this.
Always handle hot glass tubing with tongs. Rest it on a heatproof mat; don't put it straight on the bench.
Hot glass tubing can stay hot for a long time. Give it plenty of time to cool down before you attempt to pick it up.
When clamping a test-tube, don't overtighten the clamp. And make sure that the clamp has soft pads to touch against the glass. This also applies when clamping a glass thermometer.
In experiments where you have to suspend a load, make sure that the supporting clamp stand is stable enough to take the heaviest load you will be using. You may need to weigh it down for this, as shown in the diagram on the left.
Before making any changes to the wiring in your circuits, always switch off the power or disconnect the battery.
Never make a direct connection across the terminals of a battery. - - Don't put wires or tools where they might connect across the terminals.
If a mains appliance is faulty, switch off the power and pull out the plug. Don't change the fuse. Ask the laboratory technician to deal with the fault.
Don't look directly into a laser beam or other source of bright light. - Don't stand where laser light might be reflected into your eyes.
If you need to study the Sun's image, project it onto a card. Never look through a telescope or binoculars pointing straight at the Sun -even if there is a filter in front.
The radioactive sources used in school laboratories should always be sealed.
Radioactive sources should be kept well away from the body, and never placed where they are pointing at people.
Don't heat flammable liquids (e.g. methylated spirits) over a bunsen. If heating is required, a water bath should be used - with hot water heated well away from the experiment.
Don't throw water on burning liquids (e.g. methylated spirits). Smother the fire with a fire blanket or use a carbon dioxide extinguisher.
Don't throw water on electrical fires. Switch off the supply and use a carbon dioxide extinguisher.
Presenting the problem
Making a prediction
Dealing with variables
Final preparations
Choose axis; where to put which value.
Choose suitable scale.
Label axis.
Draw line of best fit.
