Enzymes in Action Lab Report Overview

The lab report is due on Friday, April 27.

Enzymes in Action Lab Report Overview

Below are the main sections that any laboratory report about an experiment (whether it is performed in high school, college, or by professionals) will usually contain. Your lab report about the Jell-O© will be set up using the general format below.

Introduction:

1. Hook/background information (gelatin, bromelain, enzymes, pH and/or temperature)/purpose of experiment

2. Your question(s)

3. State the hypothesis or hypotheses that you tested

a. Explain your thoughts behind your hypothesis – remember it is an educated answer to the experimental question. Your point of view needs to be supported by a logical argument as well as any resources (notes, activities, discussions in class, materials outside of class).

Methods:

1. Identify the independent and dependent variables as well as the control groups and the conditions that are kept constant.

2. Describe the procedure that you and your group came up with in detail.

3. Include a diagram of your setup with everything clearly labeled.

Results:

Include a rewritten data table that is clean, clear, and easy to read. Also you can include data that was recorded from other groups that helps you to evaluate your hypothesis.

Discussion:

1. Using the data you collected, make a statement connecting your hypothesis to the data. Was the hypothesis supported or not supported by the results of your experiment?

2. Provide your best explanation for the data that you obtained. In other words, what happened in the experiment to give you the data that you recorded?

a. For example, what happened to the different Jell-O samples? Why did each sample look the way that it did? Be sure to use the terms enzymes, bromalein, temperature, substrate, pH, optimum, denatured, and gelatin in your answer when explaining what happened to the Jell-O samples.

3. Investigate how your data compares to the expected data (for your experiment). Try to develop possible explanations for any discrepancies.

4. Discuss all sources of error, which may have impacted the results.

a. Discuss each error and the specific impact it may have had on the data and/or how you interpreted it.

b. Discuss the design of the lab set-up – would you make any changes and why?

c. Based on any and all errors – how reliable then, are the results and your evaluation of your hypothesis?

5. Speculate on the broader meaning of your conclusions – what connections can you make? Are there any practical implications of your work/findings?

a. Describe why having a fever for an extended period of time is potentially very dangerous.

b. Explain why hypothermia is a life-threatening condition.

c. Describe why an increase or decrease in the pH of your bloodstream could be a problem.

d. Using your knowledge and your data, answer the essential questions which were:

                                               i.     How do enzymes help maintain homeostasis?

                                              ii.     How are enzymes affected by their environment?