ScienceSource.ca Dry Lab Activity

Unit A - Chapter 1

Investigating Science 10

Quick Lab

Multiplying by Dividing

There is a repeating cycle of events to life of every cell. This cycle of events is known as the cell cycle. It is useful to learn the parts of the cell cycle and what is accomplished in each part, but it is also useful to know how much time a cell spends in each part of that cycle.


Purpose

To determine how long the stages of the cell cycle take.


Materials and Equipment

  • microscope
  • prepared slides of onion tip cells undergoing cell division
  • coloured pencils
  • calculator

Dry Lab

A "dry lab" activity includes collected data and/or a video solution for your convenience. You can simply watch the following video and use the provided data, or if you wish to perform this lab for yourself, follow the procedure steps 1 through 8 described in the video. The same steps are included in written form in the documents available for download on the bottom of this page.



Questions

  1. A student performing the procedure steps 1 through 8 recorded the following numbers when counting cells in different phases of the cell cycle. Use these numbers to calculate the amount of time each stage takes. What do your calculations indicate about the relative time a cell spends in each stage of its cell cycle?

    Phase

    First Sample

    Second Sample

    Total Number

    Interphase

    42

    43

    85

    Prophase

    4

    2

    6

    Metaphase

    3

    1

    4

    Anaphase

    0

    2

    2

    Telophase

    0

    2

    2



  2. Would you expect the similar results for the time each cell cycle stage takes if you used a different type of cell, such as a human muscle cell? Explain your answer.