Midterm Flashcards
What are the five steps of the scientific method? (OHPEC)
Observation, hypothesis, prediction, experiment, conclusion
What is a hypothesis?
A proposed explanation for a phenomena
Why must a hypothesis be falsifiable?
You must be able to prove that it is false because if you can’t prove it false, you can’t prove it right.
Meaning that it can be tested in a way that can lead to evidence that does not support the hypothesis.
What is a beaker?
A beaker is used to hold large amount of liquid, but does not accurately measure volume
What is a graduated cylinder?
A graduated cylinder is used to measure smaller amounts of liquid, more accurate than beakers
Pipettes accurately measure small volumes of liquid, usually between __-__ml
0-10ml
Micropipettes measure volume in ____________
microliters
Mohr pipettes have…
graduation marks that stop before the end of the tip
Serological pipettes have…
graduation marks that continue to the tip
Volumetric pipettes…
Precisely and accurately measures one volume.
Wide at the middle of the pipette; dispenses a single volume
Always hold the pipette upright and view the meniscus at ____ ______
Eye level
How do you calculate % error?
(Measured vol -theoretical vol)/
(theoretical vol)x100
What is a spectrophotometer?
The spectrophotometer is an instrument used to measure the amount of light that is absorbed by (scale of 0-2) or transmitted through (percentile scale 0-100%) a sample at a particular wavelength of light.
Absorbance of a solution is directly proportional to the concentration of molecules in the solution according to _____-_________ law.
Beer-Lambert Law
You will use the spectrophotometer to obtain an __________ __________ and a ___________ _______ for a blue dye called ___________ ______
Absorption spectrum and a standard curve, bromophenol blue
What is an absorption spectrum?
A pattern of light absorption over a range of wavelengths for a particular substance
What can one determine from an absorption spectrum?
One can determine the wavelength of max (peak) absorbance by the substance
What is a standard curve?
A plot of known concentrations of a series of samples against absorbance.
How can the standard curve be used to find the concentration of an unknown substance?
Find the absorbance of the unknown sample, and then plug it into your standard curve, and you can 1) estimate the concentration by eye, or 2) plug in the absorbance of the unknown sample to the equation of the line
What is the control?
The single variable of interest that is being tested. The control is used as a standard of comparison when assessing the results of an experiment
What is the independent variable?
The variable that is being changed or controlled
What is the dependent variable?
The variable that is being tested or measured
Why are graduated cylinders more accurate than beakers?
They have smaller graduated increments
The _______ is the portion of the fluid’s surface that has a concave appearance; this concavity is caused by surface tension
meniscus