Unit 2 Reflection

In this unit, we learned the basics of Miniature Biology, attempting to answer the essential unity question, "How does increasing molecular complexity serve as building blocks of life." We learned about atoms, elements, compounds, bonds, the Big 4 Macromolecules, and enzymes. Atoms are the basic building blocks of life and are made up of 3 particles, protons which are positively charged, neutrons which are neutral, and electrons, which are negatively charged. Protons and neutrons together form the nucleus, and electrons are circling the nucleus. We learned about ionic bonds, when an atom gains or looses an electron, covalent bonds, in which electrons are shared between atoms, and hydrogen bonds, that hold molecules together due to slight attractions of positive and negatively charged regions.

The Big 4 Macromolecules, were Carbohydrates, Lipids, Proteins and Nucleic Acids, molecules that ALL cells are made up of.  Each has a different characteristic, type, function, and are found in different places. For example, Carbohydrates are used as our main source of energy, and are broken down by mitochondria to make ATP. In a nutshell, enzymes are biological catalysts, which speed up chemical reactions, converting substrates into products. They can be affected by both pH and temperature. I really enjoyed and understood learning about bonds and macromolecules. But I really struggled when learning about enzymes and the basic function they serve - speeding up reactions.

Throughout this chapter, I really learned the importance of perseverance. At first glance, I did not understand enzymes at all. I read tons of information online and watched videos to understand the process and function of enzymes, and how specifically it speeds up the chemical reaction. Another skill I learned is too re-watch the vodcasts twice, once just to understand and to take notes the second time. This really helped me, as I could understand the vodcast on the first go and then solidify my knowledge when taking notes.

I really want to learn more about the four macromolecules and their effect on the human body. More specifically, I want to learn what each carbs, lipids, proteins and nucleic acids do to your body, especially when you are a teenager. Also, what type of carbs, and proteins should you get your energy from, and how this differs for different kids,

Sweetness Lab

Three types of saccharides we used in this lab - Poly, Di, and Mono saccharides

In this lab we answered the question, "How does the structure of a carbohydrate affect its taste(sweetness)? After testing the sugars sucrose, glucose, fructose, galactose, maltose, lactose, starch and cellulose, we found that the monosaccharides (Glucose, Fructose, Galactose) were sweetest type of carbohydrate, while disaccharides came in second, and polysaccharides came in third and last place. This is supported by our observations as the average score for the monosaccharides on a scale of 0 to 200 was 155, while the average score for disaccharides was 70, and the average score for polysaccharides was 15. It is corroborated by our research, as the one molecule in monosaccharides make them sweeter than the 2 or more in poly and disaccharides. Monosaccharides are also used in sweet foods and drinks such as milk and sweet fruits.

Monosaccharides and Disaccharides are used mostly for immediate energy in cells and organisms due to their 1 or 2 molecule structure, while Polysaccharides are converted into energy for later use. The longer the carbohydrate is, the more energy it has. Plants use the ones with more energy for long term use, while they use the lesser energy carbohydrates for immediate energy.

No, all testers did not give each sample the same exact rating, for these three reasons.

1. Everybody has their own opinion about certain types of tastes. Some people are generous raters while others are very strict.
2. Everyone has different taste buds, and they taste things differently. Some have a preference for bitterness or sweetness which might cloud their rating judgment.
3. People might take in a bit more of a sample than others cause them to like it more or less. For example, if you taste a lot of something bitter and you don't like it, you will give it a worse rating than someone who tasted very little of it. And vice versa for sweet samples.

According to the National Library of Medicine, the tongue uses its taste buds to sense the foods, and transports the information directly to the brain, which tells us how the food tastes. Our sense of taste used to be a matter of survival, which could tell us if plants were poisonous or edible, but now it is just a matter of what our taste buds enjoy eating. Everybody has different taste buds which might cause them to think that a food is more salty and savory, that sweet and sour. This is another reason to explain why all of the tasters ranked each sample differently, though they all got similar results.

Jean Lab Conclusion

Jean Lab

1st Lab for Scientific Method

Different Text Colors Used to Indicate Different %'s of Bleach in Data Results

In this Jean Lab performed in Mr. Orre's Classroom at Saratoga High School, we tested the effect of bleach on both the color and fabric damage of bleach, asking the question, "What concentration of bleach is best to fade the color out of new denim material in 10 minutes, without visible damage to fabric?". Using data recorded during the course of the experiment, we as a group, found out that the denim jeans squares with 50 percent concentration of bleach had the best cumulative result of more color removal and less fabric damage. Our evidence showed results as follows: The 3 denim squares soaked in 100% water (no bleach), had an average rating of 0 out of 10 for both color removal and fabric damage. On the rankings it turned out to have a cumulative score of 6 (5th place for color removal and 1st place for fabric damage), finishing tied for 3rd place. The 3 denim squares with a 12.5% concentration of bleach, got rated for an average of 3 out of 10 for color removal and an average of 2.33 out of 10 for fabric damage, with a cumulative score of 6 (3rd place for both color removal and fabric damage), finishing tied for 3rd place. The 3 denim squares with a 25% concentration of bleach had an average rating of 2.66 out of 10 for color removal and an average rating of 6 out of 10 for fabric damage, totaling a score of 9 (4th place for color removal and 5 place for fabric damage), finishing last at 5th place. The 3 denim squares with a 50% concentration of bleach, averaged a rating of 3.66 for color removal and 1 for fabric damage, with a cumulative score of 4 (2nd place for both color removal and fabric damage), finishing with a first place ranking. The 3 denim squares soaked in 100% concentration of bleach averaged a rating of 5.6 for color removal and 3 for fabric damage, totaling a score of 5 (1st place for color removal and 4th place for fabric damage), finishing at 2nd place. This evidence supports our claim that 50 percent concentration of bleach was the most effective to remove the most color with the least fabric damage, because it ended with a combined score of 4, finishing in 1st place against all the other concentrations, as it had the second least fabric damage and the second most color removal. The 1st place's in each category respectively, had extremely bad scores in the other category, as shown in the data table below.

The data table is listed below, with the final scores on the side. If you add the final scores for each concentration % respectfully, you will get the final rankings.

Concentration of Bleach (%)	Color Removal			Average	Score
0	0	0	0	0	5
12.5	3	3	3	3	3
25	2	2	4	2.66	4
50	4	4	3	3.66	2
100	8	6	3	5.66	1

Concentration of Bleach (%)	Fabric Damage			Average	Score
0	0	0	0	0	1
12.5	3	3	2	2.33	3
25	5	6	7	6	5
50	1	1	1	1	2
100	4	3	2	3	4

Our lab data contradicts the expected result of 12.5% percent being the most effective solution, mainly because of the pre-conditions to our denim jean materials. While setting up the lab, and following the procedure which we were given by our supervisor, Mr. Orre, we cut out squares from many different pairs of denim jeans, which all varies in color, as well as previous fabric damage. The experiment only exasperated both the color removal and the fabric damage of all the jeans. Because out procedure specifically told out us rate the color removal and fabric damage based on a general scale, rating the fabric damage solely on the appearance of the end product, instead of rating the effectiveness the bleach had on each square of denim, our results varied and contradicted the highly anticipated standard norm. While our hypothesis was greatly supported by our data, there could have been another possible error due to the size of the cut squares. Because of the tools we were provided with (scissors) it made the task of cutting perfect squares from ragged denim jeans extremely difficult. Our squares were not perfectly cut or sized, as most of them were ragged in the corners and varied in sizes. The sizes never varied more than a 1/2 inch, so it is not very likely that this created a huge effect or impact, but nevertheless, because of the varying size and shape, some of the denim squares may have absorbed more or less of the concentration in the 10 minutes, ergo creating another possible error that may justify the unexpected results we received. In conclusion, each of these two errors could have affected our results in drastic ways. The first possible error, because of the pre-given squares and the differences in color removal and fabric damage, caused our lab results to get thrown off, as some of the squares ended with more/less color removal and more/less fabric damage, entirely because they started our with different amounts of color and fabric damage. The second possible error, could also have accounted for our unexpected results, as different sizes and shapes could have absorbed different amounts of the bleach solutions, thus reducing the reliability and effectiveness of each bleach test. Due to these errors, in future experiments, I would recommend having a broader procedure, or letting the kid scientists choose procedures themselves, thus allowing them to account for any possible experimental errors in advance, before setting a procedure in stone. Another recommendation I would make for future experiments, is to have the exact same type of material for each group, or for each group to have their own materials set. For example, in this experiment multiple groups cut squares from many different jeans. In the future, we could assign one jean per table group, thus allowing tables to judge the effectiveness of the bleach based of the original color and fabric damage, rather than on a standard scale of 1 to 10.

This lab was primarily done to demonstrate understanding of basic science and biology practice,s including, but not limited to, the scientific method, conclusion writing practices, blog posts, following a procedure, accounting for errors, and most importantly, (in my opinion) working in conjunction with a group of other biologists, and sharing views while reflecting on the experiment. Although this lab was intended to solely give us an understanding of the way things will work in the biology classroom, and to get used to the lab setting and lab rules/parts, I felt like I improved in being in overall scientist as well. My group and I had to constantly be at the top of our game during class, as we were on a tight schedule to complete the experiment given our allotted class time. I felt we worked very well together, and succeed under pressure, ultimately completing the experiment and having an awesome time in the process. From this lab I learned the process of analyzing data and accounting for errors and applications, which really helped me relate to the concept of the conclusion writing format. In addition, I was also able to solidify my learning of the scientific method, and understand how to follow a given procedure to the fullest extent possible. Based on my experiences in the lab, I could now easily device and run a good science experiment, gathering, analyzing and concluding data. Anther situation that we could apply our learning in this lab to a research study. We now know the basics of writing summaries and conclusions for scientific experiments with lots of data, which gives us the basic building blocks and foundation to analyze bigger experiments such as research studies or surveys.