IAL EDEXCEL UNIT 6 (PART 2)
THIRD SECTION EXPERIMENTS
METHODS ( 10 MARKS)
Marks divided into the following portions:
Independent Variable (1 mark)
Dependent Variable (1 mark)
2 control variables and how they are controlled (4 marks)
Experiment procedure (4 marks)
1) INVESTIGATION TO DISCOVER THE MINIMUM
CONCENTRATION OF ETHANOL THAT IS NEEDED TO
INHIBIT THE GROWTH OF SPECIFIC TYPE OF
BACTERIUM.
A) A CONSIDERATION OF SAFETY ISSUES AND
HOW YOU WOULD MINIMISE THE RISK.
Alcohol is flammable/irritant
Keep alcohol away from naked flames
Need to prevent growth of harmful bacteria
Aseptic conditions needed
Use of a stain of bacteria that is not harmful
B) PRELIMINARY WORK (WORK BEFORE
EXPERIMENT TO ENSURE IT WORKS)
Practice proposed method before hand (ALWAYS CORRECT FOR ALL PRELIMINARY
WORK)
Check most suitable conditions for growth of the bacteria
Select suitable timescale for measuring growth of bacteria
Check method of measuring effect on growth of bacteria
Consider what other variables need to be taken into account
Determine a suitable concentration range for alcohol
C) METHOD (10 MARKS)
Dependent variable is inhibition of bacteria (1 mark)
Independent variable is concentration of alcohol (1 mark)
Range of concentration suggested 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, 100%
A clear description of how the alcohol will be added to the bacterial culture (pour different
concentration of alcohol into separate disc)
Need for nutrient gel/ nutrient broth for bacteria to grow
Some clear consideration of period over which the growth will be measured
Type of bacteria to use/ E-coli
Identification of up to two other variables that could affect growth of bacteria (pH and
temperature) (2 marks)
Description of how these two identified variables can be controlled. (pH by using buffer and
temperature using an incubator) (2 marks)
Needs for repeats at each concentration (ALWAYS REPEAT)
How the bacteria culture will be set up e.g. Lawn, inoculation of broth
D) RECORDED, PRESENTED AND ANALYSED:
Draw a graph or you could draw the table.
Find the change in bacterial growth calculated e.g. by measuring area of zone of
inhibition/ absorbance of culture.
Means calculated from repeat data
Graph type selected that matches the data to be collected (line graph; Area of
inhibition against alcohol concentration)
Use of correlation test (Spearman’s Rank).
Find the optimum pH
E) LIMITATIONS OF PROPOSED METHOD
Difficult to control all variables ( Correct 70% of the time)
Uneven spread of bacteria at start
Need to test effect on more than one type of bacteria
Experimental conditions do not match use of hand wash
2) INVESTIGATION TO DETERMINE WHETHER
FREQUENCY OF PARTICIPATION IN YOGA CLASSES
IS LINKED TO AN INCREASE IN VITAL CAPACITY.
(SO RELATING TO SPIROMETER)
Vital Capacity: The greatest volume of air that can be expelled from the lungs after taking the deepest possible breath.
A) SAFETY AND ETHICAL ISSUES
Safety
Risk of injury
Risk of infection from mouth pieces
Exposure to soda lime
Ethical
Participants give consent or are volunteers
Participation with health issues should not take part
B) PRELIMINARY WORK
Practise proposed method to see if it work
Type of yoga exercise
Standardising participants
Determining timescale for measureable effect (on VC)
C) EXPERIMENT
Clear statement of independent variable as number of yoga classes attended per week
Suitable number of values for IV (Independent Variable) – at least 5 per unit time
Idea of a group not doing yoga
Dependent variable as VC (Vital Capacity)
How a value for VC will be measured
e.g. calibrate spirometer difference between peak and trough for a deep breath on a
spirometer
Three variables that should be controlled e.g. age, gender, BMI, State of health
Repeat measurements for each person
Multiple people for each value of the IV
D) RECORDED, PRESENTED AND ANALYSED
Draw a table
Draw a line graph
Use spearman’s rank to find significance of correlation
E) LIMITATION
Difficult to control all variables affecting Vital Capacity (SEE AGAIN)
Genetic variability, previous history of yoga
Idea that participants will differ in their effort
Idea that there may be a ‘ceiling’ on an individual’s Vital Capacity, even with training
Idea that accurate measurement of VC is reliant on the subject exhaling fully
Idea that the results may not be representative of all individual
3) INVESTIGATE ABUNDANCE OF PRIMROSE
PLANTS WOULD INCREASE WITH AN INCREASE IN
LIGHT INTENSITY
A) SAFETY AND ETHICAL ISSUE
Safety
Possible risk from indigenous animals e.g. Snakes
Unidentified plant
Ethical
Minimizing the disturbance of the habitat
B) PRELIMINARY WORK
Practice method to see if it works
Check for the most suitable size of quadrat to use
Select suitable area for sampling
Standardising light measurements
Consider what other variables need to be taken into account (Also the most frequent
answer)
C) EXPERIMENT
Dependent variable: percentage ground cover of primrose
Variable to be controlled:
Gradient of slope – through choice of site
Other surrounding vegetation – Remove other vegetation during selection of quadrat area
1m x 1m size of quadrat
Mark 100m x 100m grid and use random number tables or use dice
Mark each plot for sampling and measure light intensity several times during the day
Select suitable equipment to measure light intensity e.g. light meter
Repeat
D) RECORDED, PRESENTED AND ANALYSED
Plot data on to a table
Means calculated from repeat light intensity area
Scatter graph of x axis (Light Intensity) and y axis (Mean percentage area covered
by primrose)
Spearman’s rank to check correlation
E) LIMITATION
Difficult to control all other factors affecting primrose abundance
Recognition that light intensity can change during sampling
Angle of sun changes during the day
Age/ stage of primrose would affect %cover
4) INVESTIGATION TO FIND THE OPTIMUM
2+
CONCENTRATION OF MG IONS
A) SAFETY AND ETHICAL ISSUES
No significant ethical issues
No significant safety issues
Some might be allergic to mineral ions
B) PRELIMINARY WORK
See if proposed method works
See if plant chosen will grow in hydroponics
Selecting range of Mg concentration
Measure mass
Check most suitable condition
Select suitable timescale for experimentation
C) EXPERIMENT
Dependent Variable: Mass of plant – Using balance
Independent Variable: Concentration of Mg ions – Range concentration suggested
minimum of 5
Control variable – Light, other mineral concentration…
Replica for each concentration
Use of same species
Use of graph to identify optimum concentration
D) PRESENTED, RECORDED AND ANALYSED
Table drawn
Means calculated
Line graph used
Identify optimum concentration
E) LIMITATION
Difficult to control all variables affecting plant growth
Genetic differences between the plants
Limiting factor
Need for more than one type of mineral for growth effectiveness
Difficulty in measuring dependent variable
5) CHECK THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DENSITY
OF PARSNIP AND GROWTH OF PLANT
A) SAFETY AND ETHICAL ISSUES
Need some form of systematic sampling to provide a suitable range of distances
seeds placed apart from each other
Dangerous animals
Ethical considerations in growing parsnip seedlings
B) PRELIMINARY WORK
Practice method/ See if method will work
Check most suitable conditions for growth of parsnip seeds
Select suitable timescale for measuring germination
Identify other variables that need to be taken into account
Use same source of parsnip seeds
Dependent variable determined
C) EXPERIMENT
Dependent variable: mass of parsnip – Using balance
Independent variable: densities for parsnip seeds – Sowing density
Same source to reduce variation
Suitable medium to germinate seeds (moist cotton wool)
Time period over which the seeds will be measured
Two controlled variables
Repeat
D) RECORDED, PRESENTED AND ANALYSED
Table with mean calculated
Use of Spearman’s Rank for correlation
E) LIMITATION
Difficult to control all factors
Impossible to control natural variation of seed
Timing of germination may be erratic
Measuring germination does not necessarily correspond to yield of crop
Controlled conditions may not represent natural growing conditions
6) INVESTIGATION TO COMPARE THE ANTIBIOTIC
PROPERTIES OF THE SECRETIONS FROM TWO
DIFFERENT SPECIES OF MANTILLA FROG
A) SAFETY AND ETHICAL ISSUES
Frogs should be kept in suitable conditions
Return frogs to the wild
Avoid skin contact with frogs
Need to prevent growth of harmful bacteria
B) PRELIMINARY WORK
Practice proposed method
Solution of appropriate species of frog
Carry out experiment to determine a suitable method for collecting secretions from
frog
Carry out experiments to determine appropriate concentration of frog secretion
Carry out experiment to determine the most appropriate method for applying the
secretion to the plate
Determine best method of measuring dependent variable
C) EXPERIMENTS
Dependent variable: Zone of inhibition
Independent variable: Secretion from different frogs
Description of how secretions will be added to the bacterial culture
Need for nutrient gel
Time period over which the growth will be measured
Selection of type of bacteria
Control variable
Repeats
D) RECORDED, PRESENTED AND ANALYSED
Table
Change in bacterial growth calculated e.g. by measuring area of zone of inhibition
Means calculated from repeat data
Bar graph
T-test, Mann-Whitney U test
Action taken to deal with anomalous data
E) LIMITATIONS
Difficult to control all variables affecting bacterial growth
Other components of secretions may affect
Difficult to standardise extraction of secretion
Age, Size and Gender
Uneven spread of bacteria
Variable that maybe acting as a limiting factor for bacterial growth
Need to test effect on more than one type of bacteria
7) HYPOTHESIS THAT THE LOWER THE PH OF THE
DRINK THE FASTER A TOOTH WILL DECAY
A) SAFETY AND ETHICAL ISSUES
Need to avoid potential source of bacterial infection
Risk due to body fluids
Risk due to use of strong acids
Risk due to sterilisation technique
Consent from donors
B) PRELIMINARY WORK
Practice proposed method
Check most suitable conditions for decay of teeth
Select suitable timescale of measuring decay rates
Check if the type/age of tooth has an effect
Determine appropriate dependent variable
Check pH of orange juice
C) EXPERIMENT
Dependent variable: time for tooth to decay
Independent variable: variable pH
Range of suitable pH suggested
The proposed range includes the pH of the orange juice
How to measure pH
Time period over which the decay will be measured
Control variables
Repeats
D) RECORDED, PRESENTED AND ANALYSED
Table containing mean mass
Line graph
Spearman’s rank
E) LIMITATIONS
Difficult to control all variables affecting decay
Exposure to bacteria, damage teeth
Measuring loss of mass does not necessarily correspond to decay rate
Controlled conditions do not represent natural decay conditions in the mouth
8) INVESTIGATION TO TEST THE FOLLOWING
HYPOTHESIS ‘THE HIGHER THE CONCENTRATION A
PLANT REGULATOR, THE FASTER THE RATE OF
GROWTH OF THE PLANT TISSUE’.
A) SAFETY ISSUES
Tissue culture may provide good growing conditions for bacteria
Possibility of an allergic reaction to the plant growth regulators
Release of GMOs into environment
Use of sharp instruments
Other sensible risk
B) PRELIMINARY WORK
Practice proposed method
Determine appropriate dependent variable
Check most suitable conditions for growth of plant tissue
Select suitable timescale for measuring growth rates
Consider what other variable need to be taken in to account
Range of Concentration
C) EXPERIMENT
Dependent variable: percentage change in mass of plant tissue
Independent variable: concentration of plant growth regulator (at least 5 conc.)
Need to grow on nutrient gel, aseptic condition
Time period
2 Controlled variables
Need for repeats at each concentration
Control of source of plant tissue
D) RECORDED, PRESENTED AND ANALYSED
Line graph
Spearmann’s Correlation
E) LIMITATIONS
Difficult to control all variables affecting fissure
Uncontrolled variable e.g. exposure to bacteria
Damage of plant tissue during preparation may affecting growth
Other variable as limiting factor
More than one type of plant growth regulator for effective growth
Difficulty of proposed technique
9) PLAN AN INVESTIGATION TO TEST WHETHER THESE
SUBSTANCES INHIBIT THE EFFECT OF PERFORIN.
A) SAFETY AND ETHICAL ISSUES
Allergen, irritant, damage to human all membranes of perforin
Safety risk linked to equipment e.g. use of sharp blade
There is no significant ethical issues
B) PRELIMINARY WORK
Practicing proposed method to see if it works
Finding appropriate concentration of perforin
Finding appropriate temperature for perforin activity
Determining appropriate size of tissue
Determining a named detail in the measurement of dependent variable
Finding appropriate timescale for perforin to work
C) EXPERIMENT
Independent variable is the presence of substances A-E
Dependent variable is the activity of perforin
Preparing tissue before use (after cutting)
5 separate tests involving substances A-E, perforin and tissue in a sensible order
Use of control with perforin and tissue but no inhibitor
Ensuring solution is well mixed to disperse pigment
Control variable
Repeats
D) LIMITATIONS
It is difficult to control (all) variables affecting colour of the solution
Variation in tissue used (pigment content)
Membrane damage not due to perforin
Difficulty of measuring dependent variable
Only one type of perforin tested
10) PLAN AN INVESTIGATION TO DETERMINE
WHICH PART OF THIS PLANT IS THE BEST SOURCE
OF THE INHIBITOR.
A) SAFETY AND ETHICAL ISSUES
There are no significant ethical issues
Enzymes or plant material may be irritants
B) PRELIMINARY WORK
Trialling method to see if it works
Determine suitable extraction method for the inhibitors
Determine suitable source of starch
Determine suitable conditions for the enzyme activity
Determine suitable method for detecting presence of starch
C) EXPERIMENT
Independent variable: Different parts of plants
Obtaining tissue extract through homogenesation with solvent
Appropriate experimental design involving starch + amylase + each tissue
Control involving starch + amylase and no tissue
Dependent variable: amylase activity
Method to obtain rate of reaction
Control variable
Repeats
D) LIMITATIONS
Difficult to control all variables affecting amylase activity
Specific point relating to difficulty of measuring that dependent variable
Limitation linked to inhibitor extraction
Different inhibitors present in different parts of plants
Some parts of plant may contain amylase
Plants used may not be representative of pigeon pea plants in general
