LAB Techniques Measurement, Tools, Skills aka: what you’ll be doing in the lab ALL year long

Measurement In science, we use the metric system. –Don’t Forget! “Inches” is a swear word. Don’t use it in this classroom. We will use measurements to find the mass, volume, and length of various objects.

Length Measurement To measure length, we will typically use a ruler. We measure in centimeters. It’s actually a good idea to not measure at “0”

Volume Measurement To measure the volume of something solid: –L x W x H –measure in “cm” –volume units are cm 3

Volume Measurement A commonly used instrument to measure liquid volume is the graduated cylinder. We measure the liquid volume in milliliters (ml).

Mass Measurement The triple beam balance is commonly used to measure mass in the biology lab. Masses on a triple-beam balance can be measured in grams.

Lab Tools We Will Be Using Some tools you’ll need to familiarize yourself with: –Microscopes –Paper Chromatography –Gel Electrophoresis

Microscopes We will be observing several objects that are difficult or impossible to see with the naked eye. Microscopes provide magnification into the world of smaller organisms. Two microscopes we will use in the lab: –Compound light microscope –Dissecting microscope

Chromatography Paper chromatography is a procedure used to separate substances in a mixture. Typically, the substances that are moved are pigments. This process occurs because of capillary action.

Gel Electrophoresis Gel electrophoresis is a procedure used to separate charged molecules of different sizes by passing them through a gel in an electrical field. We use this process to compare DNA strains. The DNA is cut by enzymes, then moved through the gel according to size.

Laboratory Skills When you’re in the lab, besides using tools, you’ll also need to practice appropriate skills. This year, we will focus on using and understanding: –Indicators –Dichotomous Keys –Dissection Techniques

Indicators Indicators are substances which are used to provide information about the classification of a particular substance. Some commonly used indicators in the living environment/biology lab include: –Litmus (pH) paper –Lugol's (iodine) solution –Benedict's solution.

Dichotomous Keys Making sense of observations is important in science. Classification provides a means of describing objects or organisms by their common characteristics. very BASIC example

Dichotomous Keys A dichotomous key is used to provide a method of sorting categories of organisms and specifically identifying particular organisms.

Dissection Techniques The dissection of representative plant and animal specimens is a required skill for the living environment/biology course. Dissection provides information about the internal and external characteristics of a specimen in a direct manner which other techniques can not directly provide.

Dissection Techniques Specimens we’ll be looking at include: –Flowers –Frogs –Fetal Pigs