writing Your Lab Report

Use the Lab Report document as a template. Use the descriptions and examples of each part to help you write your Lab Report.

Answer these questions in the introduction of your Lab Report:

What is surface area?
What is volume?
How does the surface area-to-volume ratio of a small cell compare to that of a large cell?
Why is the relationship between surface area and volume central to many cellular processes?
What was the purpose of your experiment?


Include a data table with results from "Part 1: Diffusion and Cell Size" sketches or photographs of your cell designs in your data and observations section of your Lab Report. The data table should include: cube size, surface area, volume, surface area-to-volume ratio, diffusion rate, and time for vinegar to diffuse to the center of the cube.

Answer these questions in the discussion and conclusion of your Lab Report:

What do the results of the agar blocks indicate about the relationship between cell size and diffusion rate?
What do the results of the agar blocks indicate about the relationship between cell size and time for materials to reach the center of the cell?
How does being small help cells survive?
Include an explanation of how the surface area-to-volume ratio, diffusion rate, and time for substances to reach the center are related. Support your explanation with data.
How does being made of many cells help large organisms maintain homeostasis?
Explain how you designed your cell, citing observations from your experiment. Be sure to include a description of how you considered the surface area-to-volume ratio.