CAMBRIDGE AS BIOLOGY

PRACTICALS
9700/3

Mrs Rola Sobhie

Biology Coordinator

Mrs Rola Sobhie

AL NAHDA NATIONAL SCHOOL FOR GIRLS

BIOLOGY DEPARTMENT
BIOLOGY PRACTICALS
Experiments for AS

1. Measuring microscopic objects using a stage micrometer and a graticule.

2. Observing plasmolysis in the cells of rhubarb epidermis, onion epidermis or
potato strips.
3. Using dialysis tubing as a model cell membrane to demonstrate osmosis
and diffusion.
4. Investigating how surface area affects the rate of diffusion
5. Carrying out biochemical tests for:
a) Reducing sugars
b) Non-reducing sugars.
c) Proteins.
d) Starch.
e) Lipids.
6. Carrying out a semi-quantitative Benedicts test on a reducing sugar
7. Using Benedicts test to estimate the concentration of reducing sugar in an
unknown solution.
8. Investigating the effect of temperature on enzyme activity.
9. Investigating the effect of pH on enzyme activity.
10. Investigating the effect of substrate concentration on enzyme activity.
11. Investigating the effect of enzyme concentration on enzyme activity.
12. Investigating the effect of inhibitors on enzyme activity.
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13. Investigating the action of catalase on hydrogen peroxide.

14. Measuring the rate of production of CO2 by yeasts during respiration.
15. Investigating the action of amylase on starch.
16. Investigating the action of proteases on proteins.
17. Investigating the action of lipase on lipids.
18. Investigating the action of urease on urea.
19. Immobilized enzymes.
a. Preparation
b. Advantages
c. Disadvantages
20. Using a potometer to investigate the effect of temperature, light intensity,
humidity and air movement on the rate of transpiration of a plant.
21. Practice the use of the equation C1 V 1 = C 2 V 2 in dilution problems.
22. Practice how serial dilutions can be carried out when given a stock
solution of a known concentration (e.g. diluting a solution to one half or one
tenth).

Mrs Rola Sobhie

AL NAHDA NATIONAL SCHOOL FOR GIRLS

BIOLOGY DEPARTMENT
BIOLOGY PRACTICALS
Data Presentaion and Analysis
1. Accuracy: The degree to which a measurement represents the true value
of something.
Simply put: How close a measurement is to the true value
Accuracy can be improved by using a better calibrated measuring instrument.
2. Precision: The ability of a measuring instrument to give the same reading
every time it measures the same thing.
Simply put: How close the measurements are to each other
Lack of precision is referred to as random error.
3. Reliability: A measure of the degree of trust you have in the measurement
or how dependably an observation is exactly the same when repeated. It
refers to the measuring procedure rather than to the attribute being
measured.
Simply put: Will one get the same values if the measurements are repeated?
Reliability can be improved by:
a. Repeating the readings at least three times and calculating the mean
value.
b. Repeating using a wider range of values for the independent variable.
c. Removing anomalies
4. Estimating uncertainty in measurement:
a. Is half the value of the smallest division on the scale you are reading from.
b. If you make two measurements and your result is the difference between
them then the total error is the smallest division. For example, if you measure
a change in temperature or length using a ruler then you make two errors;
each is half the smallest division.

Mrs Rola Sobhie

5. Estimating the percentage uncertainty or error in a measurement:

To calculate the percentage error, divide the error in the measurement by the
measurement itself, and multiply by 100.
% error = uncertainty/ error X 100
Measurement
6. Tips for constructing a results table to display data
a. Draw a table with ruled columns, rows and borders.
b. Columns should be headed clearly with quantity and unit
c. Results should be organized in a sensible order, from lowest to highest
or vice versa
d. The independent variable should be in the first column and the
dependent variable in the second column
e. You should take at least three readings and calculate the mean value
f. Each measurement of the dependent variable should be taken to the
same number of decimal places
g. The calculated mean should be given the same number of decimal
places as the individual readings
h. If you get an anomalous reading then, do it again or ignore and dont
use it in calculating the mean value
7. Tips for constructing a line graph
a. The independent variable goes on the x-axis and the dependent
variable on the y-axis
b. Each axis should be fully labeled, including the units
c. The scale on each axis should go up in equal intervals
d. The intervals chosen should make it easy to read intermediate values
e. The scales should cover the entire range of values to be plotted
f. The points are plotted as neat, carefully placed crosses
g. Each point should be joined to the next point with a ruled straight line
h. The line should not be extrapolated

Mrs Rola Sobhie

8. Constructing bar charts

A bar chart is drawn when you have a discontinuous variable on the x-axis
and a continuous variable on the y-axis
9. Constructing histograms
A histogram is drawn when there is a continuous range of categories on the
x-axis, and the frequency with which each of these categories occurs is
shown on the y-axis
10. Drawings
a. Diagrams should be drawn with clear, single lines
b. HB pencil and a clean ruler should be used
c. The proportions of the different components of the structures should be
accurate
d. No shading or coloring
e. Using most of thes pace provided

Mrs Rola Sobhie

AL NAHDA NATIONAL SCHOOL FOR GIRLS

BIOLOGY DEPARTMENT
BIOLOGY PRACTICALS
Microscopic Slides for AS Biology
1. Dicot leaf (plan diagram).
a) Upper epidermis
b) Lower epidermis
c) Palisade mesophyll cells
d) Spongy mesophyll cells
e) Guard cells
f) Stomatal pores
g) Vascular bundle(xylem, phloem)
h) Drawing epidermis cells, mesophyll cells, spongy cells, guard cells and
stomatal pores.
2. Xerophytic leaf (adaptations).
a) Thick waxy cuticle.
b) Folded leaf.
c) Tiny hairs (trichomes) in the lower epidermis.
d) Sunken stomata in grooves deep in the epidermis
e) Plan diagram
f) Examples: marram grass and nerium
g) Xerophytic adaptation.

Mrs Rola Sobhie

3. Transverse section of a root (plan diagram & labelling)

a) Epidermis
b) Cortex
c) stele
d) Endodermis
e) pericycle
f) xylem
g) Phloem
4. Longitudinal section of a root tip
a) Plan diagram
b) Annotated diagram
c) Root cap
d) Region of cell division
e) Region of cell elongation
f) Identifying the stages of mitosis in a root tip (prophase, metaphase,
anaphase, telophase).
g) Identifying cells in the prophase.
h) Comparison between cells in the region of cell division and cells in the
region of cell elongation
5. Transverse section of a monocot or dicot stem (plan diagram &
labelling).
a) Epidermis
b) Cortex
c) Vascular bundles(xylem, phloem, cambium)
d) Pith

Mrs Rola Sobhie

6. Transverse section of a hollow stem.

a) Plan diagram
b) Epidermis
c) Cortex
d) Vascular bundles
e) Air space (hollow pith)
7. Transverse section of a vascular bundle.
a) Xylem
b) Cambium
c) Phloem
8. Longitudinal sections of xylem and phloem.
a) Xylem
b) Phloem
c) Arrangement of lignin in xylem (spiral, annular, articulate or perforated).
d) Identifying sieve plates in phloem.
e) Identifying companion cells.
f) Preparing a section through the xylem of a rhubarb stem.

9. Transverse section through an artery, vein and capillary.

a) Tunica externa
b) Tunica media
c) Tunica intima (endothelium)
d) Lumen
e) Comparison between an artery and a vein.

Mrs Rola Sobhie

10. Human Blood smear

a) Identifying RBCs, phagocytes and lymphocytes.
b) Drawing diagrams of RBCs, phagocytes and lymphocytes.
c) Comparing WBC and RBC.
d) Using a graticule to find the ratio of the diameter of one
cell to the other e.g. phagocyte: RBC.
f) Using a graticule to estimate the diameter of any blood cell.

11. Frog blood smear

a) Identifying RBCs, phagocytes and lymphocytes.
b) Drawing diagrams of RBCs, phagocytes and lymphocytes.
c) Using a graticule to estimate the diameter of any blood cell.

12. Comparison between RBCs of a human and a frog

a) shape
b) size
c) presence of a nucleus
13. Transverse section through a lung
a) Alveoli (squamous epithelial cells, surfactant cells, macrophages)
b) Blood vessels
c) Bronchiole
d) Bronchi

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Mrs Rola Sobhie

14. Transverse section through a trachea

a) Plan diagram
b) Outer connective tissue
c) Cartilage
d) Smooth muscle
e) Inner connective tissue
f) Ciliated epithelium
g) Goblet cells
h) Blood capillaries
i) Lumen
j) Drawing cartilage cells, ciliated cells and goblet cells
k) Comparing cartilage cells to ciliated epithelial cells

15. Transverse section through a bronchus

a) Plan diagram
b) Cartilage
c) Smooth muscle
d) Ciliated epithelium
e) Goblet cells
f) Blood capillaries
g) Lumen

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Dicot Leaf

Palisade mesophyll
cells

Air Space

Spongy mesophyll
cells

Plan Diagram of a leaf

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Vascular Bundle

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Xerophytic Leaf

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Marram Grass

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Vascular Bundles

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Transverse section of a monocot or dicot stem

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Plan Diagram of a stem transverse section

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Plan Diagrams of root TS and stem TS

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Cambium

Pith

Epidermis

Endodermis

Cortex

Phloem

Xylem

Phloem

Xylem, phloem and cambium form vascular

bundle

In the stem vascular bundles are arranged in a

cylinder for support.
In the root the xylem and phloem are in the center.

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Root Tip

Region of cell
differentiation

Region of
cell division

Zone of differentiation

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Telophase

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Onion root tip undergoing mitosis

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3

1. Interphase (a)
2. Prophase (b)
3. Metaphase (c)

4. Anaphase (d)
5. Telophase (e)
6. Cytokinesis

d
c

b
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(a) Interphase

(b) Prophase

(c) Late Prophase

(e) Anaphase

(f) Telophase

(g) Cytokinesis

(d) Metaphase

Late Prophase

Cytokinesis in animal cells

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Blood Smear

Lymphocyte

Phagocyte
(Neutrophil)

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Platelet
(Thrombocyte)

Red blood cell

(Erythrocyte)

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Frog Blood Smear

WBC

RBC

Parts of
RBC

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Phagocyte

RBC

Lymphocyte
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Artery and Vein

Tunica externa

Tunica media

Tunica intima

Lumen

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Tunica
media

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Aorta

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Plan Diagram of a trachea

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Cartilage

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Smooth
Muscle

Bronchiole under high power

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