Midterm Study Guide

Lab 1: Taking Measurements in Biology

Do you understand lab safety procedures? Can you describe proper lab dress code? Where are the pieces of safety equipment found around the lab?

Do you have an understanding of the syllabus and course policies?

Can you recognize a piece of equipment? And what the name of that piece of equipment used to measure (mass , length, volume, temperature)?

Do you know the units of measurement for (volume, mass, length, temperature) and know the metric base unit for each?

Know all the metric base units of measurement

• meters (m)

• grams (g)

• liters (L)

Given an equation, can you convert from English to metric?

Given a unit in scientific notation, can you convert it to standard notation and vice versa?

• ex: 45,000 is 4.5×10^4

Can you solve a math problem with the numbers given to you in scientific notation?

Given a piece of equipment, can you use it to measure a dimension accurately?

Convert a metric measurement unit by converting between metric unit prefixes.

Lab 2: The Scientific Method

Can you accurately identify all steps of the scientific method? And can you define all the steps?

Given a word problem scenario, can you identify: dependent variable, independent variable(s), control variable(s)

• Dependent: effected, measured, y-axis

• Independent: cause, manipulated, a-axis

• Control: ex: light, temperature, day/night

Can you generate a hypothesis given a list of materials and equipment available and a few observations?

Given a hypothesis, can you correctly identify which piece of equipment should be used to conduct the experiment? Given a piece of equipment, can you determine which scientific hypothesis experiment can be conducted using that equipment?

Can you recognize the axes on a graph, and use a graph to determine how a dependent variable changed in response to the independent variable changes?

• y-axis: up and down, dependent

• X-axis: flat, side to side, independent

Can you relate back to a hypothesis and determine whether or not a hypothesis is supported?

What equipment did you use in the lab? How did this equipment allow you to use all aspects of the scientific method?

Can you look at a graph and determine if there are any errors in how the graph was made using a data table?

Can you use a data table to identify independent and dependent variables, generate a hypothesis? Can you generate a graph given a data table?

Lab 3 & 4: Basic Chemistry Parts I & II

Can you define all terms from these labs? For example: element, atom, molecule etc.? Also, given the term, can you identify its correct definition?

• acid: is any compound that releases hydrogen ions when dissolved in water

• Base: is a compound that accepts hydrogen ions while in solution, removing free hydrogen ions from the solution

• Macromolecule: a large molecule containing many atoms

• ATP: adenosine triphosphate

Do you understand the pH scale? Do you know what pH is acidic or basic?

• goes from 0-14

• 7 is neutral

• 0-6 is acidic

• 8-14 is basic

Can you interpret a pH strip to determine the pH of an unknown substance?

Given any reagents, can you say what that reagent is used to test for? And can you describe or visualize the positive and negative results? And any special aspects to the procedure

• Benedicts: detect reducing sugars, glucose

  • Blue: none

  • Green: positive, low

  • Orange: positive, medium

  • Red: positive, high

• Lugols: lipids, iodne

  • Two layers indicate positive result for lipids

  • Yellow-brown: no starch

  • Blue-black: starch

• Biuret: protein

  • Purple: positive for protein

  • Blue: negative for protein

• Nnhydrin: amino acids

  • Purple: positive for amino acids

  • Clear: negative amino acids

Given a set of test tubes of various colors, can you determine what tests were conducted based on colors only?

Can you identify macromolecules from a diagram of a chemical structure only? Given a macromolecules can you determine which reagent is used to test for it?

Do you know what chemical reaction is occurring for each reagent that would cause a positive result?

Understand the structure of DNA and the differences between DNA and RNA

Lab 5: Microscopy

Can you define all terms that are in bold in the chapter? For example: parfocal, iris diaphragm, magnification etc.? Also, given the term, can you identify its correct definition?

Can you calculate the total magnification of any microscope setup?

• ocular magnification x objective lens = total magnification

Do you know the parts of a microscope and the function of each part?

Can you tell, from description, whether a person has correctly set up a microscope for viewing a slide?

Do you know all the steps to make a wet-mount of a specimen and view it?

Can you identify any specimen you viewed under a microscope in lab? For example, is it eukaryotic/prokaryotic? Is it multicellular, colonial, or single celled etc? Can you visualize ad identify any organelles of that specimen? (Nucleus, chloroplasts…)

Given a model of a plant cell or animal cell, can you identify the name and function of that organelle?

Given the name of an organelle, can you point it out on a cell model?