BSC2010L

APPENDIX A
(The following exercise should be completed at home if time in the lab does not permit. You can expect
questions related to this exercise on your quiz for this unit. Do this without using a calculator)

A Brief Metric Primer

LENGHT:

1. Obtain the meter (M) stick at your station. This wooden stick represents the basic unit of length in the
metric system. The meter is roughly equal to a yard, although the actual length is ___39_____inches.

2. The word centrum is Latin for one hundred. It is the root for cent (for which there are 100 in a dollar)
and century, which refers to 100 years. Note that the meter stick is also divided into 100 equal parts
called centimeters (cm). The prefix centi means one-hundredth part of. Because centi is followed by
meter, a centimeter is one-hundredth of a meter. Find the centimeter markings on the meter stick.

The meter stick is rather large and bulky for measuring small objects. Locate the 6-inch plastic ruler at
your station. Use this ruler to measure the length in centimeters of the following objects:

a) Glass slide = ____6_______cm b) measure this line: ___________________= __3.5___cm

3. The Latin word mille means a thousand. 1,000 years is termed a millennium. The prefix milli- is
derived from the same Latin root, and refers to one thousandth part of. Given this prefix, it is
reasonable to expect that a meter can be divided into __1,000____________ millimeters (mm). Look
again at the 10 divisions in a centimeter. Each division (0.1cm) equals 1mm (10mm/cm x 100 cm/m
=1,000 mm/m).

4. The Greek work micros means small, or minute. Look at one millimeter on a metric ruler and try and
imagine dividing it into 1,000 parts. Each part would be one micrometer (µm) long and would be
microscopic. A micrometer equals one thousandth of a millimeter or one millionth of a meter (1,000
µm/mm x 1,000 mm/m = 1,000,000 µm/m). Most cells and organelles are measured in micrometers
(µm) so it is an important unit in biology. Smaller even than the micrometer is the nanometer (nm). If
you divide a micrometer into a 1,000 parts you get a nanometer. A nanometer is one thousandth of a
micrometer or one thousandth million (billionth) of a meter. It is hard to measure extremely small
things like viruses.

5. CONVERSIONS:

A) Centimeters to millimeters: Multiply the number of centimeters by 10. If 1 cm equals 10mm,

then the number of mm should be 10 times greater than the number of cm.

cm x 10 = mm
Convert the following from cm to mm:
1) 80cm = ____800_____mm 2) 7.3cm = ____73_____mm 3) 25 cm = ____250____mm

B) Millimeters to centimeters: Divide the number of millimeters by 10. Because 10 mm equals

one cm, the number of cm must be 10 times smaller than the number of mm.
cm = mm/10
Convert the following to cm.
1) 8.98 mm = __ .898___cm 2) 56.00 mm = ___5.60____cm 3) 0.85 mm ___.085_____= cm

C) Millimeters to micrometers. Multiply the number of millimeters by 1,000. Since 1,000 µm

equal 1mm, the number of µm must be 1,000 times greater than the number of mm.

µm = mm x 1,000
Convert the following to µm:
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 BSC2010L
1) 2.0 mm = ___2000____µm 2) 3.63 mm = ___3630____µm 3) 0.72 mm = ____720____µm

D) Micrometers to millimeters: Divide the number of micrometers by 1,000. Since 1,000 µm

equal one mm, the number of mm must be 1,000 times smaller than number of µm.

mm = µm / 1000
Convert the following to mm.
1) 800 µm = __.8___mm 2) 311,000 µm = _311___mm 3) 16.87 µm = ___.01687_____mm

MASS or WEIGHT
Most of us have some idea of the meaning of the term mass as it is used in science. The standard of
mass in the metric system is the kilogram (kg), which is equal to approximately 2.2 pounds.

1. The main unit of mass you will use in biology is the gram (g). A gram is one thousandth of a
kilogram. A paper clip has a mass of one gram.

2. Many vitamins and medicines are dispensed in milligrams (mg). A milligram is one thousandth of a
gram. We will use electronic balances to weigh out substances in both grams and milligrams in this
lab course.

3. CONVERSIONS: Based on the length conversions above, convert the following:

a) 50 kg = __50000____g b) 7.87 g = ____7870__ mg c) 811 mg = _.811_______g
d) 80 kg = ___176_______pounds e) 23,030 g = ___23.03_______ kg f) 2.78 kg = 2.48×106 mg

VOLUME

The basic unit of volume in the SI (metric) system is the cubic meter (m3). However, in this lab course,
we will use the liter (L), the milliliter (mL), the cubic centimeter (cm3), and the microliter (µL). Most of
you have previously used graduate cylinders or pipettes to measure out a variety of volumes in other
science courses.

1. One liter (L) has a volume equal to 1000 milliliters (mL). One liter is roughly equal to 1.1 quarts in the
English system. To convert from liters to milliliters, multiply the number of liters by 1000.

2. One milliliter (mL) is one thousandth of a liter (L). To convert to liters, divide the number of mL by
1000. Note that 1 mL is equal to 1 cm 3. The mL unit will be used most often in this lab course.

3. One microliter (µL) is one-thousandth of an ml and one millionth of a L. In other word, 1,000 µL = 1
mL. The microliter is a very important unit in molecular biology. Enzymes and DNA are measured out
in this unit.

4. CONVERSIONS: based on the above information, convert the following:

a) 1.23 L = __1230____mL d) 0.8 mL= ____800___µL

b) 38 mL = __38______cm3 e) 198 mL = ____.198_L

c) 24 µL = ____.024___mL f) 0.32 L = ___320___cm3

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 BSC2010L
LAB REPORT #1
Date: ___________________
Name(s) :_______________________________________________

How Does Science Work

Exercise 1.1 – An Exercise in Problem Solving:

1. What does your puzzle represent? _Experimentation_____________________
2. Compare the activities involved in solving your jigsaw puzzle with those of scientists probing
mysteries of nature. List at least four in the table (1.1) below.

Table 1.1 Comparison of activities between students and scientists

Students’ activity in solving the Scientists’ activity solving a mystery of
puzzle nature
1. 1.

2. 2.

3. 3.

4. 4.

EXERCISE 1.3 – Observations, Questions and Hypotheses

1. List one qualitative difference between the two types of beans:

___Bean “A” is a darker shade of green than Bean “B”.

2. Table 1.2 Quantitative Measurements of Bean Length (cm) and Mass (g)

Bean “A” Bean “B”

Length (cm) Mass (g) Length (cm) Mass (g)
12.4 4.7 8.4 2.9
9.5 3.4 9.5 .3
8.6 2.7 7.3 1.8
9.3 4.1 8.5 2.1
9.2 2.4 8.6 2.0
AVE: 9.8 3.5 8.5 2.2

3. In the space below write down one question about the beans.

______Which bean will have a larger average mass?

4. Write down a hypothesis (testable explanation) for the question above.

___Bean “A” will have a larger average mass.

__________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________
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EXERCISE 1.4 – Developing a Simple Experiment
1. Hypothesis statement:_A 8.5 × 11 sheet of paper could be folded in half at most 9 times.
____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

2. Results of the first experiment:___The piece of paper was folded 10 times. ________________

3. Are the results of the second experiment consistent with the first? __No; 8 times.____________

4. How much confidence do you have in your hypothesis? __The same amount of confidence, as
there are multiple folding techniques to produce different results.

_____________________________________________________________________________

5. List 3 variables that can affect the outcome:

1. __Folding pattern____________________________________________
2. __Size of paper____________________________________________
3. __Density____________________________________________
6. Write a question, hypothesis, and control for the smaller piece of paper, labeled “B”.
Question: _Can “B” be folded at least 8 times? __________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
Hypothesis:__Paper “B” can be folded at most 7 times._________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
Control: __A sheet of paper that will not be folded.___________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
7. Describe the data and conclusion about your hypothesis: The result of the first attempt of folding
“B” resulted in 6 total folds and the second attempt resulted in 8, disproving the hypothesis.
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________

EXERCISE 1.5 – What is in the Black Box?

1. What are your observations?
_Box #2 is 82.8g and there is nothing magnetic in the box.
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
2. How did you make your observations?
_The box was placed on a scale and a magnet was passed over multiple times.
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

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3. What are other methods you might have used?
_A method to more accurately determine the mass of Box #2 would’ve been to remove the tape
from the box to have the mass of only the box and its contents.
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
4. Describe the importance of making observations?
__The importance of making observations is to gain as much possible data before an experiment is
started.
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
5. What did you guess the contents of the box to be? (Do this only once)
_The rubber stopper, the wood dowel and the sinker. _________________________________________
6. How did you test whether your guess is correct? (Do this only once)
_The white box was emptied and placed on the scale and different combinations of items were placed in
the box to find the group with the closest mass to Box #2. ______________________________________
7. Do your test results support your guess?____Yes______________________________
How sure are you? ___Confident that most of the items are correct____
8. Summary of methods used to solve the black box problem:
_Box #2 was placed on a scale and had a mass of 82.8g. It was then tested with a magnet to check for
the metal screw. The white box was emptied and placed on the scale and different combinations of items
were placed inside to compare the weight with Box #2. ________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
9. After checking with your instructor, was your guess correct? __No_________________________

EXERCISE 1.6 – Which Paper Towel is the Most Absorbent?

1. State the question that your team investigated.
__Which paper towel is the most absorbent? ________________________________________________
2. State your team’s prediction.
__Paper towel “C” is the most absorbent.___________________________________________________
3. Describe the methods used to answer the question.
__The three paper towels were cut into 5×5” squares and were weighed with all three squares being 0g.
Each square was dripped on with water until fully soaked then weighed again to see how much water it
had absorbed.
__________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
4. Describe the data you collected (include the units of measurement).
__All three 5×5” paper towel squares weighed 0g before receiving water an after receiving water paper
towel “A” weighed 0.2g, “B” weighed 0.4g, and “C” weighed 0.6g.
__________________________________________________________________________________

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____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

5. Present your data in the space below in both a table form and as a bar graph. Make sure each is
neat (use a ruler) and properly labeled.

A) Table:

BEFORE WATER AFTER WATER

A 0.0g 0.2g
B 0.0g 0.4g
C 0.0g 0.6g

B) Graph:
Weight after absorption

0.6

0.4

0.2

A B C

Paper towel

5. State your conclusion. How does the data above support your conclusion?
__Paper towel “C” absorbed the most water, proving the hypothesis correct.
__________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
Rev. Fall ‘16 1-6