HOW TO MAKE A SLIDE

A slide is a thin piece of glass used to hold objects

which are examined under a microscope.
Most slides will already be made up for you. If you do
get the chance to prepare your own slide, here’s what
to do:
Plant cells
Peel a thin, transparent layer of epidermal cells from
the inside of an onion.
Place cells on a microscope slide.
Add a drop of water or iodine (a chemical stain).
Lower a coverslip onto the onion cells using forceps or
a mounted needle. This needs to be done gently to
prevent trapping air bubbles.
Animal cells
Remove cells from the inside of your cheek using a
cotton bud.
Smear the cotton bud onto a microscope slide.
Add a drop of methylene blue (a chemical stain).
Lower a coverslip onto the cheek cells using forceps or
a mounted needle. This needs to be done gently to
When using a light microscope it’s important to start with the low
power objective lens as the field of view will be wider, increasing the
number of cells you are able to see.
This makes it easier to find what you’re looking for.
Then, ensuring the cells are in the middle of the field of view, rotate a higher
powered lens into place and begin to focus to view the cells in more detail.
Extra care is needed here because the high-powered lens can become
damaged as it’s very close to the slide.
Total magnification=eyepiece magnification x objective lens magnification
Drawing cell structures
A good biological drawing should be:
Drawn in pencil. Lines should be firm and continuous with no gaps (not
sketchy).
Large with the same proportions as the observed cell.
Labelled using separate ruled lines. These should be spread out with a bullet
point on one end and a clearly written label on the other.
Given a title that includes its magnification or size.
Magnification
Equation
Magnification can be worked out from a
photograph or drawing using the equation below:
The same unit of measurement should be used when
making the calculation - metre (m), millimetre (mm) or
micrometre (µm).
To convert millimetres into micrometres, multiply by 1000.
The above equation can be rearranged in order to
calculate the actual length of the cell and the
magnification used as well as the length of the image.
Actual Length = length of the Image divided by
the Magnification.
Magnification = length of the Image divided by the Actual
Length.
Scale bar
Magnification can be calculated using
a scale bar. This is a line drawn near
the photograph or drawing which has
a label showing the actual length of
the bar before being magnified.
 OBSERVATION AND
DRAWING
Use a sharp HB pencil.
Mark drawings as large as will fit into the
space as possible.
Leave space for labelling.
Make outlines as sharp and clear-not
'sketchy'.
Avoid unnecessary shading.
Show on the drawing any detail that can be
observed.
Label if told to do so. No marks for extra
labelling !
Use ruled label lines in pencil.
The label lines must finish precisely on the
relevant feature. No arrowheads on the
label lines.
Labels should be printed in pencil in
capital letters.
HOW TO DRAW A GRAPH
BAR GRAPH
Bar graphs are used when the x-axis is a range of categories,
names or labels (categoric variables) and the y-axis can take
any numerical value (continuous variable). An example of this
would be the height a golf ball bounces to when dropped on
different surfaces. The bounce height is a continuous variable
and the different types of surface are categoric variables. Bar
graphs can also be drawn to display fixed or discrete numbers
(discontinuous variables) on the x-axis, eg months in a year or
the number of legs possessed by animals and insects (2, 4, 6, 8)
LINE GRAPH

Line graphs are used when both axes

are continuous variables because they
can take any numerical value. An
example of this might be a graph to
show the time taken for a paper cake
case to fall from different heights.
Constructing a line graph
SLAP
Suitable Scale
Label the axis
Area, maximum graph used
Point, neither to big nor to small
Guidelines to be followed for making any graph
Only pure numbers to be used when plotting points Each axis should be labeled clearly
with the quantity and SI units if appropriate Each axis must be marked with an
appropriate scale Data should be critically examined to establish whether it is necessary
to start the scale(s) at ZEROO. The independent variable should be plotted on the x-axis
The dependent variable should be plotted on y-axis
Guidelines to be followed for making a bar chart
Lines or blocks should be of equal width Data can be arranged in any direction but
arrange in descending order of size The title should be given The values on the x-axis
should be given in the middle of each bar. This chart can be made for any kind of data. If
values on x-axis are non numerical, bar chart can only be drawn
Guidelines to be followed for making a histogram
The blocks should be drawn touching this could be done by establishing the class
boundaries Both of the edges of a block should be labeled
Guidelines to be followed for making a line graph
Follow the instruction if any given in the question otherwise you can make free hand,
ruled line or best fit line. Any point extremely away from the trend in the data can be
ommited.
Guidelines to be followed for making a pie chart
if you are provided percentages to be drawn in a pie chart. Use the following formula to
find the angle to be made on a pie chart. Percent value using data from the table given
above plot a graph.