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Biology AS AQA

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  1. 1-1-biological-molecules-carbohydrates
    11 主题
  2. 1-2-biological-molecules-lipids
    3 主题
  3. 1-3-biological-molecules-proteins
    5 主题
  4. 1-4-proteins-enzymes
    12 主题
  5. 1-5-nucleic-acids-structure-and-dna-replication
    8 主题
  6. 1-6-atp-water-and-inorganic-ions
    4 主题
  7. 2-1-cell-structure
    7 主题
  8. 2-2-the-microscope-in-cell-studies
    4 主题
  9. 2-3-cell-division-in-eukaryotic-and-prokaryotic-cells
    8 主题
  10. 2-4-cell-membranes-and-transport
    9 主题
  11. 2-5-cell-recognition-and-the-immune-system
    7 主题
  12. 2-6-vaccines-disease-and-monoclonal-antibodies
    6 主题
  13. 3-1-adaptations-for-gas-exchange
    6 主题
  14. 3-2-human-gas-exchange
    14 主题
  15. 3-3-digestion-and-absorption
    5 主题
  16. 3-4-mass-transport-in-animals
    6 主题
  17. 3-5-the-circulatory-system-in-animals
    4 主题
  18. 3-6-mass-transport-in-plants
    6 主题
  19. 4-1-dna-genes-and-chromosomes
    10 主题
  20. 4-2-dna-and-protein-synthesis
    3 主题
  21. 4-3-genetic-diversity-mutations-and-meiosis
    7 主题
  22. 4-4-genetic-diversity-and-adaptation
    6 主题
  23. 4-5-species-and-taxonomy
    4 主题
  24. 4-6-biodiversity
    9 主题
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Exam code:7401

Using logarithms when investigating bacteria

  • Bacterial colonies can grow at rapid rates when in culture, with very large numbers of bacteria produced within hours

  • Dealing with the experimental data relating to large numbers of bacteria can be difficult when using traditional linear scales

    • There is a wide range of very small and very large numbers

    • This makes it hard to work out a suitable scale for the axes of graphs

  • Logarithmic scales can be very useful when investigating bacteria

Orders of magnitude

  • Logarithmic scales allow for a wide range of values to be displayed on a single graph

  • An order of magnitude means a tenfold (×10) change in quantity

  • When you’re working with logarithmic scales, especially base 10 (log₁₀), each unit step represents one order of magnitude

Example: yeast cells

  • Yeast cells were grown in culture over several hours. The number of cells increased very rapidly from the original number of cells present

  • The results from the experiment are shown in the graph below, using a log scale

    • The number of yeast cells present at each time interval was converted to a logarithm before being plotted on the graph

    • The log scale is easily identifiable as there are not equal intervals between the numbers on the y-axis

    • The wide range of cell numbers fits easily onto the same scale

Graph showing cell growth over time with a log scale; cells increase exponentially from 1 to 1000 as time progresses from 1 to 10 hours.
The number of yeast cells grown in culture over 10 hours, using a logarithmic scale

Example: pH scale

  • The pH scale is logarithmic

    • The concentration of hydrogen ions varies massively between each pH level

Diagram of pH scale from 0 to 14, showing acidity and basicity. Examples: battery acid (0), coffee (5), water (7), seawater (8), drain cleaner (14).
The range of hydrogen ion concentrations within the pH scale

Examiner Tips and Tricks

You won’t be expected to convert values into logarithms or create a log scale graph in the exam. Instead, you might be asked to interpret results that use logarithmic scales or explain the benefit of using one. Remember that graphs with a logarithmic scale have uneven intervals between values on one or more axes.

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