01A_Beetroot+experiment

__**Aim**__ To explore the factors which affect the movement of materials in and out of the cells, in this case, the cells of the beetroot. __**Hypothesis**__ A higher concentration of alcohol present in the liquid and a higher temperature will cause more damage in the cell membrane which will in turn lead to more colored pigment from the beetroot being leaked out from the cell into the surroundings. __**Methodology** Materials Needed:__
 * __Homeostasis: Movement in an out of the cell (Beet Root)__**
 * 1) Scapel
 * 2) Ruler
 * 3) 5 test tubes and rack
 * 4) Labels
 * 5) Forceps
 * 6) Distilled water
 * 7) 25%, 50% alcohol
 * 8) Beetroot
 * 9) White tile
 * 10) 2 Petri Dish
 * 11) 3 Droppers (Water, 25%, 50% alcohol)
 * 12) Thermometer
 * 13) Stop Watch
 * 14) 2 Beakers
 * 15) Supply of hot water
 * 16) Spectrophotometer

__Procedures:__ Step 1 - Use a ruler and a scapel to cut the cylinder of beetroot into 15 discs of 2mm each. Make sure this is done on the white tile to so as to minimize the probability of hurting oneself and that one is holding onto the beetroot using the forceps. Step 2 - Take three of the 2mm discs of beetroot and cut them further into small pieces by cutting each into quarters. Do this on the white tile provided again. Step 3 - Rinse the cut beetroot in the beaker provided. Do this until the water is colorless. This is to ensure that the color in the beetroot before the experiment begins will diffuse into the water in the beaker so that it will not affect the results of the experiment later on. Step 4 - Label the 5 test tubes as follow: Measure the volume of the liquid to be poured into the different test tubes using the droppers provided. Ensure that each dropper is to be used for one type of liquid only. Hence, one dropper will be used to measure the water, one for measuring the 25% alcohol and one for the 50% alcohol. Step 5 - Place 3 pieces of beetroot cut into 2mm into Test tube A, B, C and D. Place the remaining smaller cut pieces of beetroot into Test tube E. Transfer and handle the beetroot into the test tubes using the forceps. Step 6 - Leave the beetroots in the test tubes left in the test tubes stand for 15 minutes. Use the stop watch to time the length of the experiment. Step 7 - During the 15 minutes, set up the spectrophotometer. Step 8 - To ensure that the results are reliable, fill a cuvette with water from the tap until the mark. Hold the cuvette by its rough sides (the sides with ridges) and not the smooth sides to prevent any fingerprints on the smooth sides that will affect the colorimeter and the results. Step 9 - Make sure that the sides of the cuvette are dry by wiping it with a cloth before placing the cuvette in the colorimeter and holding the cap close. Step 10 - Adjust the colorimeter by twisting the knob on the colorimeter and adjusting it until the screen on the spectrophotometer registers 100%. This is to calibrate the machine by using water that allows 100% of the light to pass through. Step 11 - After 15 minutes, shake the test tube gently and hold it against the white tile to note the color. Record down the observations in a table. Step 12 - Using the dropper, transfer the liquid from test tube A into the cuvette and fill it up to the brim. Place the cuvette into the colorimeter. Step 13 - Operate the spectrophotometer and record the value of light transmission once the value is relatively steady into the table drawn. Step 14 - Repeat Steps 11-13 for all the test tubes and record the results in the table too.
 * 1) Test tube A - 4ml of water
 * 2) Test tube B - 4ml of 25% alcohol
 * 3) Test tube C - 4ml of 50% alcohol
 * 4) Test tube D - 4ml of hot water (90 degrees to 100 degrees)
 * 5) Test tube E - 4ml of distilled water

__**Results**__ Quantitative Data Table 1 : Quantitative Results
 * ** Test Tubes ** || ** Liquid in Test Tube ** || ** Size of Beetroot ** || ** Value on Data Logger / % ** ||
 * A || 4ml of Water || 2mm || 98.3 ||
 * B || 4ml of 25% alcohol || 2mm || 86.4 ||
 * C || 4ml of 50% alcohol || 2mm || 49.4 ||
 * D || 4ml of hot water (90-100 degrees) || 2mm || 89.9 ||
 * E || 4ml of Water || 1/4 of 2mm || 90.6 ||

__**Results Analysis**__ Table 1 shows the quantitative results from the experiment. The transmission in Tube B is lower than the control, Tube A. However, when Tube C and Tube B are compared, the transmission is C is significantly lower than the that of B because of the difference in the concentration of alcohol. When Tube D is compared with Tube A, there is also a difference in the results because the transmission in D decreased. Tube E, like the previous four tubes decreased in transmission too. __**Discussion Questions** 1. What was the control of this activity?__ Test Tube A with the 4ml of Water is the control in this activity.

2. __How do you analyze the results of this experiment one variable at a time?__ With Test Tube A being the control of the experiment, the whole experiment can be broke down into three separate different experiments. Test Tube A - Control Test Tube B + Test Tube C - Variables Independent Variable - Concentration of Alcohol Test Tube A - Control Test Tube D - Variable Independent Variable - Temperature of Water Test Tube A - Control Test Tube E - Variable Independent Variable - Size of the beetroot (Surface Area) Therefore, the results from the experiment can be analyzed according to each experiment because they have different independent variables each.
 * Experiment One:**
 * Experiment Two:**
 * Experiment Three:**

__3. Why was it necessary to wash the beetroot slices thoroughly before using them in this exploration?__ It is necessary to wash the beetroot slices thoroughly before using them during the experiment because there are excess colored pigments from the in outer layer of the beetroot that will affect the results.

__4. The main source of error in any biological experiment is usually the natural variation of living things. What did you do to ensure that this variation was minimized?__ The different parts of the beetroot have different amount of colored pigments, hence using different parts of the beetroot will affect the results too. We washed the beetroot until the color of the water was colorless, so that the amount of pigments

5. __Does alcohol have an effect on beetroot cell membranes? Was the concentration of alcohol a factor too? Suggest an explanation for your observations.__ Yes, the alcohol has an effect on the beetroot cell membranes because the value on the spectrophotometer is lower as compared to the control, Test tube A. This is because alcohol is a fat solvent; fat is dissolved when coming into contact with alcohol. Therefore, when the beetroots are placed into the solution of alcohol, the fats in the cell membrane will dissolve and break down. The concentration of alcohol was also a factor because when Test tube B and C are compared, Test tube C has a lower data value than Test tube B. Therefore, the higher the concentration of alcohol is, more damage will be done to the cell membrane hence leading to more colored membrane from inside the cell to leak out into the surroundings since the cell membrane, which controls the activity in and out of the cells is now damaged and is no longer as effective in carrying out its function.

6__. Suggest an explanation for the observations of tube D & E too.__ Different temperatures of water will gave different effects on the permeability of the cell membrane. The transmission in Test tube D is way lower than than the one in Test tube A. This is because the higher the temperature of the water, the damage to the cell membrane in the beetroot cell will increase in a similar way like how the increase in the concentration of alcohol will damage the cell membrane too as the increasing heat will cause the denaturing of the cell wall and the cell membrane, hence the colored pigment of the beetroot will be able leak out of the cell in an increasing amount. The optimum temperature for the cells to work in is 37 degrees Celsius. However Test Tube D has a water of 90-100 degree Celsius, therefore, the cell wall and membrane are both damaged drastically and thus, the the increase in the rate of osmosis. The surface area of the beetroot will affect the rate of diffusion. The smaller the surface area, the higher the rate of diffusion will be. Hence, since the beetroot in Test tube E has a smaller surface area, the rate of diffusion will be faster, hence there the value on the data logger will be smaller.
 * Test Tube D**
 * Test Tube E**

7. __What other factors can you think of that would affect the leaking of the pigment out of the beetroot cells?__ 1) The amount of water in the test tube. 2)