Biology Lab 1: Measuring Simple Things Simply
1: Dimensions of blocks. In measuring several different blocks, I found that all shared the following basic properties: length, width, and height. Of course, this caught my attention, and before I knew it I was furiously recording their dimensions.
#1: L: 4 in. W: 2 in. H: 1 in.
#2: L: 1.5 in. W: 2.22 in. H: 1.45 in.
#3: L: 1.77 in. W: 1.45 in. H: 1.55 in.
#4: L: 3.4 in. W: 1.6 in. H: 1.5 in.
2: Temperature of tap water. Upon activating the faucet, I was surprised to see a rapid flow of a high volume of water, H2O. Luckily I had a thermometer handy, so I measured its temperature and found that it was 32.2 degrees Celsius. I performed the following equation to convert it into Fahrenheit degrees which are of greater use to the whole world excluding everywhere but America.
(32.3) x 1.8 + 32 = 89.6 degrees Fahrenheit.
Interesting.
3. The freezer provided us with ice to perform an equally revelatory experiment: the measurement of tap water with ice in it. Upon taking its temperature, I discovered that ice water is 7.1 degrees Celsius. Once more, the Fahrenheit scale tempted my curiosity.
(7.1) x 1.8 + 32 = 44.78 degrees Fahrenheit.
Yes, of course.
4. However, the ultimate test awaited: measuring the animate human body in Celsius degrees. Luckily I had one handy, and started by measuring its internal temperature using the Fahrenheit scale. It politely complied. The instrument read “98.6 degrees Fahrenheit” which sounded both correct and familiar, which just made it feel more correct. I performed the following equation to determine the Celsius measurement:
(98.6-32) / 1.8 = 37 degrees Celsius.
An interesting conclusion; neither boiling nor freezing, but definitely closer to freezing. The human body provides endless fascination, certainly.
Wouldn't it have been rather scary if one of the blocks hadn't shared the basic properties of length, width, and height? It's good to verify these things, so as to prevent ruptures in reality and the fabric of space-time.
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