SciHawks

Here's a recap of today's work and of last week's lessons:

Bio 3/4- I should have left the projector on; this way we could have seen some pretty "big" cells projected on the screen. I'll try to have that working by tomorrow.
We finished the parts of the scientific method by focusing on data collection/graphing:
Two MAJOR rules,
(1) the range of data must be evenly spread out among the grid boxes so we take the range and divide by the number of boxes and round that number to a convenient integer. That gives us a workable number of units per box.
(2) the number of units per box MUST be the same; the ONE exception to this occurs when your data do not start at "zero"; in that case, you use the "lightning bolt/squiggly line" to go from zero to your first data point; all boxes thereafter MUST have equal increments.

We then discussed "peer review" which involves other scientists who analyze, critique, and repeat your experiment.

During the microscope lab, we learned the parts of the microscope.
Again the TWO MAJOR rules:
(1) ALWAYS start the microscope on the lowest power (SHORTEST length) objective lens so that you do not crush the slide.
Using the coarse adjustment, move the stage/slide all the way up towards the objective lens. Then look at the slide and, using the coarse adjustment, back the slide away until the specimen is in rough focus. Then make the image sharper by using the fine adjustment knob, which is inside the coarse adjustment knob.
(2) Without looking into the eyepiece (!), then CAREFULLY rotate the objective lenses to high power making sure that the objective doesn't hit the slide (it most likely will NOT hit the slide).
Then, ONLY USE THE FINE ADJUSTMENT. Your image will already be almost focused even before you tweak the fine adjustment knob.

I noticed a few of you going from low to high power and thinking that you had to start over at high power. YOU DON'T! You simply tweak the fine adjustment because MOST of the focus work is already done at LOW power.
We will finish that lab tomorrow and file the lab when you come back on Monday.

Last week, we began our course with a discussion of the course requirements and grading policy.
We began our study of biology by discussing the characteristics of living things; we then developed criteria for judging whether something is living or not. Our main criterion is that all organisms are made up of one or more CELLS.
We discussed how certain non-living things can certainly have SOME of the characteristics of life but NOT all of the characteristics of life (e.g. viruses, robots, computer viruses).

We then discussed the scientific method, its general chronological procedure, and its usefulness at discovering relationships among variables in nature. Here is a link to a SCIENTIFIC METHOD POWERPOINT.

Chem 7- We completed our discussion of the scientific method focusing on graphing and peer review. Then, we finished our "Lab Equipment" lab, which you should copy for safekeeping and then hand in with your lab folder on Monday. Next up: units of measurement, significant figures, and accuracy vs. precision.
Chem 8/9- We completed our discussion of the scientific method focusing on graphing and peer review. Then, we finished our "Lab Equipment" lab, which you should copy for safekeeping and then hand in with your lab folder on Monday.
We then began our lesson on units of measurement and significant figures. Make sure that you consistently reinforce/practice the "Atlantic-Pacific" rule and soon you will automatically "see" the number of significant figures in any measurement!