Novas unit 3 last minute revision

don't forget to skim through unit 1 and 2 videos/ summary notes to refresh your memory

General info
Variables
Independent variable: factor changed in the investigation.
Dependent variable: measured variable that changes as a result of independent variable.
Controlled variables: factors that must be constant to ensure a valid experiment.

Control experiments: experiment with the independent variable removed to ensure it is the one
causing change in dependent variable
Eg. an experiment on enzymatic activity without the enzyme.

Accuracy:
x Accuracy can be defined as the difference between actual values and measured values. The
higher the difference the lower the accuracy and vice versa. x Accuracy is increased by
changing the measuring method and using a more sensitive measuring apparatus.

>Validity:
x This means how correct is your experimental procedure.
x Validity is increased by keeping all other factors constant to have a fair test (controlled
variables)

>Reliability:
x This means how similar your results are after several replications.
x Error bars/Range bars show spread of data around the mean. So, they give an indication on
the variability of data,
x The larger the error bars, the wider the data variability and the lower the data reliability (å vice
versa)
x If error bars are overlapping, this reduces data reliability.
x Standard deviation (SD) is similar to error bars but it takes the sample size into consideration.
It is equal sized on both sides of the mean
x Reliability is increased by controlling all variables and measuring the dependent variable
accurately. x Repetition only measures reliability but doesn't increase it (if repetition by other
scientists gave similar results this enhances reliability)

Serial Dilutions
C1v1 = c2v2
V2 = v1 + volume of water added to dilute
 Cp1 food tests

What's a semi quantitative test? Rough estimation to the concentration of a substance present
compared against standard/known concentration. Involves subjective judgment to color change.
Quantitative method: Exact determination to the concentration of substance present. Measure
the intensity of color using a colorimeter and using calibration.

Cp 2 Measuring the content of Vitamin C in fruit juice

1. Make up several Vitamin C solutions of different known concentrations.
Ideally, you need about six different solutions
2. Add Vitamin C solution of a known concentration, drop by drop, to 2 cm^3 of
the DCPIP (blue) solution in a test tube using a pipette
3. Shake the tube gently after the addition of each drop and continue to add drops
until the DCPIP solution is decolorized
4. Record the exact amount of Vitamin C you added
5. Repeat the procedure and calculate the mean volume
6. Repeat the procedure with the fruit juice, containing vitamin C at unknown
concentration
7. Record the volume of juice required to decolorize 2 cm^3 of the same
concentration of DCPIP solution
8. Use results to make a line graph

Other variables to control:

1. Temperature
2. Concentration of DCPIP solution
3. Shake each tube same number of times
4. Same end point colour

Cp 3 The effect of temperature on cell membranes

1. Cut 5 equal pieces of beetroot and rinse them to remove any pigment during
cutting (use cork borer to cut)
2. Place the 5 pieces in five different test tubes, each with 5 cm^3 of water
3. Place each test tube in a water bath at a different temperature for the same
length of time
4. Remove the pieces of beetroot from the tubes, leaving just the coloured liquid
5. Use colorimeter – a machine that passes light through the liquid and measures
how much of that light is absorbed. The higher the absorbance, the more
pigment is released, so the higher permeability of the membrane
Other variables to be controlled:
1. Volume of distilled water
2. Time left in water
3. Size of beetroot piece
4. Storage conditions and age of beetroot
5. Number of beetroot discs
6. Temperature of water bath

Cp 4 why does temp affect enzymatic activity

why does ph affect enzymatic activity

Cp5
How to accurately determine diameter of cell A? (5) oct 2023
1- use light microscope to find cell under low power then view under a high power
2- calibrate eyepiece graticule (Place a micrometer slide on the stage of the microscope Focus
on the micrometer scale using the low power objective lens. Move the slide and rotate the
eyepiece to align the scales of the eyepiece graticule and the micrometer scale in the field of
view Count the number of divisions on the eyepiece graticule and compare them to a known
length on the micrometer scale to figure out the length of one eyepiece unit Repeat steps 1-3
with the medium-power and high-power objective lens.)
3- count number of graticules units
4- convert eyepiece graticule units to microns using calibration
5- measure cell diameter at different positions
How to prepare cheek cells?
-use sterile cotton buds gently rub on inside part of ur cheeks
-rub the cotton bud on a glass slide
-add few drops of methylene blue then cover with a cover slip

Cp 6 Observing mitosis
Method:
1. Cut the tip from a growing root (e.g. broad bean). Should be about 5mm long.
2. Place root tip on a watch glass and a few drops of hydrochloric acid
3. Add a few drops of stain so that the chromosomes become darker and so
easier to see under a microscope. (Acetic orcein)
4. Warm the watch glass (but don‟t boil the liquid) by passing it slowly through a
Bunsen burner flame
5. Place root tip on a microscope slide and use a mounted needle to break it open
and spread the cells out thinly
6. Add a few more drops of stain and then place a cover slip over it
7. Squash the cover slip down gently
8. Warm the slide again for a few seconds. This will intensify the stain.
9. Now you can look at all the stages of mitosis under a light microscope

Cp 7
Describe how a thin section of a stem could be prepared and viewed using a light microscope:
1 cut thin section with a scalpel (1)
2 use of stain/ dye (1)
3 place section (on slide) under coverslip (1)
4 draw under low power/described (1)
NOT HP for drawing

Cp 8 The strength of plant fibres

 Tensile strength – maximum load the fibre can take before it breaks
Method:
1. Attach the fibre to a clamp stand and hang a weight from the other end
2. Keep adding weights, one at a time, until the fibre breaks
3. Record the mass needed to break the fibre – the higher the mass, the higher the
tensile strength
4. Repeat the experiment with different samples of same fibre – increases
reliability
5. The fibres being tested should always have the same length
6. All variables must be kept constant – e.g. temperature, humidity
7. You also need to take safety measures when doing this experiment, e.g. wear
goggles to protect your eyes and leave the area where the weights will fall
clear
Other variables to be controlled:
1. Length of fibre
2. Size of each individual mass
3. Temperature
4. Humidity

Cp 9 Effect of garlic and mint on bacterial growth

Some plants have antimicrobial properties – they kill or inhibit the growth of
microorganisms
Method:
1. Take extracts from the plant you want to test. To do this you need to dry and
grind each plant, then soak them in ethanol (acts as solvent). The plants should
all be the same size, so the amount of extract is the same.
2. Filter off the liquid bit (the ethanol containing the dissolved plant extract)
3. You need some bacteria to test the plant extract on – evenly spread a sample
of bacteria onto an agar plate
4. Dip discs of absorbent paper in the extract. The discs of paper should all be
the same size so they absorb the same volume of liquid
5. You also need to do a control disc soaked only in ethanol (to make sure it isn‟t
the ethanol or the paper that‟s inhibiting bacterial growth)
6. Place the paper discs on the agar plate – make sure they‟re spread out
7. Incubate the plate to allow the growth of bacteria
8. When bacteria can‟t grow there‟ll be a clear patch in the lawn of bacteria. This
is called an inhibition zone.
9. The size of an inhibition zone tells you how well the antimicrobial plant
extract is working. The larger the zone, the more effective the plant extract is.
Other variables to be controlled:
1. Concentration of plant material
2. Lawn of bacteria on petri dish
3. Contamination of petri dish by other microbes
4. Same volume of plant material on each disc
methods of additional practicals
Investigating The Effect of Sucrose Concentration on Pollen Tube Growth
> Prepare pollen culture medium and add to it a known sucrose concentration.
› Add a drop of the solution you prepared to the center of a clean slide.
›To add pollen, use a low power microscope and knock pollen off the anthers of a flower using a
mounted needle.
›Observe under the microscope to note when pollen tubes start to grow, this usually occurs after
about 15-30 minutes depending on the used plant species.

› At this point, use the eye piece and stage graticules to record the pollen tube length every 3
minutes for half an hour.
›Repeat the same process with other slides using pollen from the same anther and the same
culture medium but with a range of different sucrose concentrations.

Investigating plant mineral deficiencies

Method:
1. Take 30 seedlings of the same plant (they should be the same age and height)
and plant them in separate pots
2. Make up three nutrients broths (definition: liquid medium containing proteins
and other nutrients for the culture of bacteria) containing all essential
minerals, but vary the concentration of calcium ions. Make up one broth with
a high concentration, one with medium and one with low concentration of
calcium ions.
3. Split the plants into three groups. Each group should be given only of the three
broths.
4. Record the heights of the plants after several weeks. Calculate average height
of each group
5. During the experiment, it is important to keep all other variables the same
6. The greater the concentration of calcium, the more plants grow – this shows
that when calcium is deficient – the more the plants grow
Heart dissection

Statistical tests
Used for evaluating if 2 or more data sets are significantly different or are correlated

Null hypothesis stated always There is no [Significant difference/ Correlation] between data
sets
'any relationship visitle is by chance until the test proves otherwise

Studying a difference
☆ Chi squared-used to compare between observed & expected data Null hypothesis: there is
no significant difference between observed & expected data
Example: inheritance crosses vs actual off- spring

☆ Student t-test- used to see if there is a significant difference between 2 data sets collected in
a study
Null hypothesis: No significant difference in the dependent variable between data A & data B
Example: Abundance of certain plant species around building A vs b, data collected, mean
calculated to get t value

Studying a correlation
☆ Spearman's rank correlation - used to check for correlation between the independent and
dependent variable
Null hypothesis: there is no correlation b/w me independent variable & dependent variable

Example. No correlation between light intensity and abundance of organisms

Standard deviation
Repeats of experiment, means calculated