Week One – "Laboratory Math"

The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.
Vidal Sassoon

Monday presentation

The Monday talks will be held in 131 Biology, 3 pm. On your way in to the first meeting, please pick up a course syllabus and survey form.

Prepare for an introduction to the course followed by a presentation on mixtures, solutions, dilutions, formulas, and colorimetric assays. The slide presentation is available on line. Slides with notes are also available as a pdf file, formatted for grayscale printing. You may wish to look over the presentation and have questions ready for Monday afternoon.

Resources

  • As soon as possible, complete and submit the self-evaluation of skills
  • Before the Monday talk review "Laboratory Math," which presents the work to be done this week; links to relevant background topics are included
  • Before coming to the laboratory complete Pre-Lab #1, print your answers, and bring a copy to the laboratory

Some expectations before the talk

  • Be able to describe the differences among suspensions, solutions, and colloids
  • Be prepared to write appropriate units for volume, amount, and concentration
  • Be able to explain what is meant by w/w, w/v, v/v, and molarity
  • Be able to describe the general principle behind a colorimetric assay
  • Be able to describe two situations in which the formula c1v1=c2v2 would be used

Items needed for the laboratory

  • You will need laboratory goggles, a blank notebook, and a black marker (see the course syllabus, course description on line, or "read this first" for details)

Some expectatons before coming to the laboratory

  • You must review the rules for safe conduct
  • Quickly peruse the course "rules" for keeping a laboratory notebook. If you have a notebook that uses carbon paper, please detach it before coming in so that your notebook is ready for making copies
  • The "Laboratory Math" write-up outlines what else is expected of you before and after you complete the work

Pre-laboratory orientation (by instructor)

  • Review of safe laboratory practices
  • Introduction to starting and maintaining a laboratory notebook
  • How to use an automatic pipettor
  • How to calibrate and use a Spectronic 20 spectrophotometer

Follow-up work

  • Notebook – when you finish for the day, write a summary, update your table of contents, void remaining blank spaces, check numbering and dates, have it checked and initialed by a teaching assistant, then remove and turn in copies with your name on page one and the remaining pages initialed next to the page numbers
  • Regularly check your email and the announcements page for messages from your instructor
  • Start on your preparation for the second week of the course (Week 2 schedule page)

Copyright and Intended Use
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Created by David R. Caprette (caprette@rice.edu), Rice University17 Aug 95
Updated 9 Aug 07