Exercise 2: The Tools of Scientific Inquiry NAME_____________________

Skill Check Worksheet Lab Section________________

Pre-Lab Activities

Part 1: Activity 1: Converting Metric Units

Convert the following matric quantities:

1	2 kg = ______ g	7	3 L = ______ mL
2	___ kg = 4,000 g	8	___L = 6,000 mL
3	5 L = _____ mL	9	______ g = 8 kg
4	______ mL = 9 L	10	1.5 kg = ______ g
5	0.5 L = _____ mL	11	12,000 g = _____ kg
6	____ kg = 15,000 g	12	1.5 L = ______ mL

In each box, circle the number that represents greatest quantity:

1 kg 100 g 500 g

4 L 3260 mL 800 mL

2700 g 3 kg 3020 g

5200 mL 5 L 5090 mL

Use greater than (>), less than (<) or equals (=) to compare the amounts.

1.1 L __________ 500 mL

a.>

b.=

c.<

2.3 kg _______ 800 g

a.>

b.=

c.<

3.5,000 ml ______ 5 L

a.>

b.=

c.<

4.7 kg _______ 7290 g

a.>

b.=

c.<

5.0.5 kg ________280 g

a.>

b.=

c.<

Part 1: Activity 2

Match each of the items in the following list with its appropriate size in metric units. Since these items are extremely different in size, it is not really necessary to measure them to see the difference. The five items in the left column below are listed in size from smallest to largest. Match each of the items with the correct size from the right column. You may use your lecture textbook or other sources (such as the Internet) to help you correctly determine the sizes.

_____ Length of a bacterial cell a. 2.5 cm

_____Diameter of a typical animal cell b. 600 cm

_____Diameter of a human eye c. 2 mm

_____ Height of an average human female d. 30 mm

_____Length of a human small intestine e. 1.6 m

Part 2: Presentation of Data in Graphs

Part 2A: The Bar Graph

You can gather a lot of information from a histogram. Answer the following questions based on the histogram in Figure 1. (Prelab 2)

One thing that you can determine is the number of times a particular “event” occurred. In this case, an “event” is a sea urchin that was counted. On this graph, what is the total number of events? (i.e. How many sea urchins were counted in total?)

You can also use the graph to determine how many times a certain event occurs. In this case, what is the total number of events in the 40-44mm size range? (How many sea urchins are between 40-44 mm in diameter?)

What is the range in events? (What is the range in size (the largest and smallest) of the urchins?)

What is the title of the graph in Figure 1?

What is the label of the x-axis in Figure 1?

What is the label of the y-axis in Figure 1?

Part 2B: The Line Graph

Describe any trends you see in Figure 2.

How long does it take the algae (graphed in Figure 3) to reach its maximum height?

Do you see any trend(s) to the data in Figure 3? Is the growth rate of the algae constant at all times?

Fill in the following for Figure 3:

“The effect of ________________________ on _____________________.”

Part 3: What is a mollusc?

List three well-known organisms that are molluscs.

Describe the characteristics that define the body plan of these organisms.

Describe the four substrates where marine mollusks are typically found living.

Lab Activities

Activity 1. (https://seanet.stanford.edu/Molluscs#brunnea)

Table 1: Mollusc Data: Individual Group and Class (10 groups in class)

Common Name	Scientific Name	# of specimens (group data)	# of specimens (class data)
Keyhole limpet	Fissurella volcano	2	18
Black Turban snail	Chlorostoma funebralis	14	150
Brown Turban Snail	Chlorostoma brunnea	10	95
Periwinkle	Littorina scutulata	19	175
Periwinkle	Littorina keenae	12	100
Green chiton	Cyanoplax hartwegii	0	1
Whelk	Acanthinucella spirata	0	8
Brown Top Snail	Calliostoma ligatum	6	45
Whelk	Nucella emarginata	0	5
Whelk	Nucella ostrina	1	1

Question 1) How many different species of molluscs were present in your group’s collection?

Question 2) How did the species you had in your collection compare to species found in collections of the other groups? If there were differences, why do you think that was the case?

Question 3) Are there any species that appear to be more highly represented than others? Why do you think that might be the case?

Activity 2

Table 2: Mollusc length measurements (millimeters) (Black Turban Snail)

15	23	13	23	22
29	23	24	19	24
16	27	28	19	16
24	27	22	18	30.0
24	14	12	18	26
30	23	28	23	23
24	23	28	22	24
25	16	23	18	31
28	28	22	23	29
27	17	18	23	14

Question 1) Describe the distribution of sizes of the species of mollusc that you measured. Are all of the sizes evenly distributed? Or are certain sizes more highly represented? Why do you think this might be the case?

Activity 3

Table 3: Mollusc Length and Weight Data

Sample	Length (mm)	Weight (grams)
1	14	1.38
2	16	1.62
3	18	1.80
4	22	2.25
5	23	2.31
6	24	2.38
7	25	2.47
8	27	2.76
9	29	2.91
10	30	3.22

1)Look at the trend line and its associated R-squared value. Does there appear to be a linear relationship between length of the shell and weight of the shell? Do you think that weight of the shell would be a good indication of the size of the organism? Based on your data and the R-squared value, why or why not?

2)Besides length and weight, what other characteristics might you be able to use as an indication of the size of the organism?

Don’t forget to turn in Activity 5 below. You can add to this document by simply adding it below. Additionally, you can put all of your graphs on a single document and upload it along with this Skill Check Worksheet; it will save a lot of uploads.