UMUC Biology 102/103
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UMUC Biology 102/103
Lab 1: Introduction to Science
INSTRUCTIONS:
• On your own and without assistance, complete this Lab 1 Answer Sheet
electronically and submit it via the Assignments Folder by the date listed in the
Course Schedule (under Syllabus).
• To conduct your laboratory exercises, use the Laboratory Manual located under
Course Content. Read the introduction and the directions for each exercise/
experiment carefully before completing the exercises/experiments and answering
the questions.
• Save your Lab 1 Answer Sheet in the following format: LastName_Lab1 (e.g.,
Smith_Lab1).
• You should submit your document as a Word (.doc or .docx) or Rich Text Format
(.rtf) file for best compatibility.
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Exercise 1: Data Interpretation
Dissolved oxygen is oxygen that is trapped in a fluid, such as water. Since many living
organisms requires oxygen to survive, it is a necessary component of water systems such as
streams, lakes and rivers in order to support aquatic life. The dissolved oxygen is measured in
units of ppm (parts per million). A researcher has found ten bodies of water with incrementally
increasing dissolved oxygen and decides to use these to examine the effect dissolved oxygen
has on a certain population of fish. She visits these sites multiple times and records the number
of fish she observes each time. The data in Table 4 shows the amount of dissolved oxygen
present and the average number of fish observed. Use this data to answer the questions below.
Post-Lab Questions
1. What patterns do you observe based on the information in Table 4?
2. Develop a hypothesis relating to the amount of dissolved oxygen measured in the water
sample and the number of fish observed in the body of water.
3. What would your experimental approach be to test this hypothesis?
4. What would be the independent and dependent variables?
5. What would be your control?
6. What type of graph would be appropriate for this data set? Why?
7. Graph the data from Table 4: Water Quality vs. Fish Population (found at the beginning of
this exercise).
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8. Interpret the data from the graph made in Question 7.
Exercise 2: Experimental Variables
Determine the variables tested in the each of the following experiments. If applicable, determine
and identify any positive or negative controls.
Observations
1. A study is being done to test the effects of habitat space on the size of fish populations.
Different sized aquariums are set up with six goldfish in each one. Over a period of six
months, the fish are fed the same type and amount of food. The aquariums are equally
maintained and cleaned throughout the experiment. The temperature of the water is kept
constant. At the end of the experiment the number of surviving fish is surveyed.
A. Independent Variable:
B. Dependent Variable:
C. Controlled Variables/Constants:
D. Experimental Controls/Control Groups:
2. To determine if the type of agar affects bacterial growth, a scientist cultures E. coli on four
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different types of agar. Five petri dishes are set up to collect results:
? One with nutrient agar and E. coli
? One with mannitol-salt agar and E. coli
? One with MacConkey agar and E. coli
? One with LB agar and E. coli
? One with nutrient agar but NO E. coli
All of the petri dishes received the same volume of agar, and were the same shape and size.
During the experiment, the temperature at which the petri dishes were stored, and at the air
quality remained the same. After one week the amount of bacterial growth was measured.
A. Independent Variable:
B. Dependent Variable:
C. Controlled Variables/Constants:
D. Experimental Controls/Control Groups:
Exercise 3: Testable Observations
Determine which of the following observations (1-6) are testable. For those that are testable
answer the following questions:
Determine if the observation is qualitative or quantitative
Write a hypothesis and null hypothesis
What would be your experimental approach?
What are the dependent and independent variables?
What are your controls – both positive and negative?
How will you collect your data?
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How will you present your data (charts, graphs, types)?
How will you analyze your data?
Observations
1. A plant grows faster per day when placed on a window sill than it does when placed on a on
a coffee table in the middle of the living room.
2. The teller at the bank with brown hair and brown eyes is taller than the other tellers.
3. When Sally eats a diet of healthy foods, her blood pressure is 10 points lower than when
she eats a diet of fatty foods.
4. The Italian restaurant across the street closes at 9 pm but the one two blocks away closes
at 10 pm.
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5. For the past two days, the clouds have come out at 3 pm and it has started raining at 3:15
pm.
6. George did not sleep at all the night following the start of daylight savings.
Exercise 4: Conversion
For each of the following, convert each value into the
designated units. Don’t forget to use the correct
number of significant digits!
1. 46,756,790 mg = _______ kg
2. 5.6 hours = ________ seconds
3. 13.5 cm = ________ inches
4. 47 °C = _______ °F
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