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Lab 5: Motion and work in living systems
How much work is involved in active transport?
In this two-week lab, students examine the intracellular motion of small organelles that are visible inside living cells in a thin layer of freshly cut onion skin. By tracking the motion of the vesicles and analyzing scaling relations between the distance traveled and time, students determine if the particles are moving in a directed manner, in a random manner, or are confined (trapped) in some way. Finally, the students connect motion to energy and explore biological implications of the physical measurements. From the work needed to achieve the observed directed motion in the cell, students estimate the rate of ATP hydrolysis involved in the process and calculate the viscosity of the cytosol (intracellular medium).
Week 1:
Files for Students:
File for TAs:
Week 2:
Files for Students:
Kim Moore, Spring 2014
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