Are you ready for the practical?
As you finish studying for the practical, here is a review sheet for you to see if you are ready. Disclaimer: This is just an aide. It is not meant to be an exhaustive list (albeit it is pretty long) --- there may be questions on the practical about other items covered in lab that are not on this list. Each instructor asks questions in a different way so don’t memorize – LEARN. The practical is typically only 30 questions, so not all of these areas may be covered on your specific practical (but all good for you to know!).
Some solution, dilution, and units practice problems are at http://oldwww.sju.edu/biology/ceprob.htm
Are you ready?
Can you ….
Measure a domino’s length and width with a caliper?
Record values accurately with correct units?
Covert from mL to uL? uL to mL? nsec to msec? pm to um?
Convert from nm to m? Write your answer in scientific notation?
Find the answer when exponents are involved such as those problems on units worksheet 1 & 2?
Convert a value to scientific notation?
Show a distance given in Angstroms in the modern unit nm (nanometers)?
Convert from a value given as nm or ug to the main unit of m or g?
Determine how many mm per ocular unit for a microscope using a stage micrometer? How many um/ocular unit?
Convert an ocular unit measure into actual size using this um/o.u. conversion?
Drag out 100 um on the stage micrometer image to tell the SPOT software what distance on the screen is equal to 100 um?
Drag out a correct cell diameter or length of a cell for the software to tell the actual size?
Focus in a specimen slide using the microscope? Focus at the higher power (400x) using correct technique?
See the image in a microscope with both eyes open? See the ocular micrometer?
Measure a cell’s size using the ocular units?
Measure both the length and width of the same cell using the ocular micrometer?
Use the random numbers to randomly select a cell to measure?
Determine the total magnification you are using on the microscope?
Use a toploader balance to measure out 1.00 g of a solute?
Determine how many grams to weigh out to make 10 mL of a 10% (w/v) solution? 50 mL of same? 50 mL of 15% (w/v)?
Set up a yeast/sugar trial in a pipette as we did for the yeast experiment?
Read the volume of carbon dioxide in a yeast run accurately?
Determine which sugars are used by yeast given yeast experimental data in a table or graph? Rank them?
Compare rates or lag times from a graph of yeast data?
Read the volume of carbon dioxide from a graph of yeast data? Calculate the rate of carbon dioxide release in ml/min from a line on graphed yeast data? (calculate slope)
Determine which variable goes on the X axis and which on the Y axis of a graph?
Set up an X or Y axis properly for a graph? Correctly plot points?
What type of data would be considered qualitative data? Quantitative data?
Read X or Y values from graphs?
Turn on the spectrophotometer?
Blank the spectrophotometer and read from a sample?
Read absorbance readings from the spec accurately?
Set and use any of the pipetmen?
Prepare a protein standard using a recipe?
Determine the concentration of protein in a diluted unknown, given its absorbance reading from the Bradford Assay and the standard curve?
Plot a point correctly on a graph to construct a protein assay standard curve?
Calculate the concentration of the very concentrated unknown, given the concentration of the dilution and the dilution factor (or “fold” dilution) ?
Convert from ug/ml to mg/ml?
Change a large or small number into scientific notation?
Calculate the correct amount of solute to weigh out to make a % (w/v) solution? % (w/w) solution?
Determine how much to measure out and how much water to add to dilute a stock solution by a certain dilution factor? (such as diluting 2x, 10x, 100x, …)
Determine the dilution factor