Overview: This is the first week of a two-week lab studying cell motion. This week we will learn how to use Excel to analyze the 1-D motion of an amoeba from stop-motion images. Next week we will be analyzing videos of cell motion: 1) wound closure, 2) neutrophil motion, and 3) bacteria motion—to determine whether or not a patient should be prescribed antibiotics. Clearly, the relative speeds of the wound closure, neutrophils, and bacteria will affect your decision. Thus it becomes important that we learn how to quantify the motion of cells. On the next page, you will see a graph of the movement of Dictyostelium discoideum, shown as a sequence of outlines of the amoeba cell at 3.0-minute intervals. Your task is to record and analyze the motion of the amoeba—specifically, the position, instantaneous and average speed, and instantaneous and average acceleration. Rather than do all of the mathematical calculations by hand, Excel can help you do the calculations much more quickly and efficiently. This week you will practice and master the skills necessary to bend Excel to your will and make it do the grunt work. Next week, you will be expected to be experts at these skills so take turns and help each other learn. Deliverables: Either individually or with a partner, you will submit a set of graphs (y vs. t, v vs. t) with your data tables and the typed responses to these questions: 1) What do these graphs say about the motion of this organism? 2) Look at the top speed for the organism. If the organism were moving at the top speed for an entire day (24 hours) how far would it travel. Compare this to the length of the human body. 3) What did you learn from this first online lab? What do you think the instructors are hoping you start to learn and practice from this? You will upload the graphs, tables, and typed responses in one PDF to the assignment page in canvas. It is incredibly hard to grade if there are several pages of uploads.
Sample Solution
