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Biology

21 Nov 2025

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17 pages

Ultimate Notes for AQA Triple Science

J

jaeden @jaedenc08

Diving into science can be both exciting and challenging. This summary covers key practical methods, concepts, and techniques... Show more

Magnification
• One cell thick.
° • Stain w/ iodine.
• Add cover Slip.
o Slide
on stage.
BIOLOGY
magnification.
wheels.
I
eyepiece.
AM
MICRO

Using a Microscope

Microscopes let you see the tiny world that's invisible to our eyes. Knowing how to use one properly is a crucial lab skill you'll use throughout your science education.

To prepare a slide properly, place your specimen on a microscope slide, add a stain like iodine or methylene blue, and carefully place a cover slip on top. This creates a thin, viewable sample that's just one cell thick.

When viewing your sample, always start with the lowest magnification. Place your slide on the stage, lower it to its lowest position, and focus using the coarse adjustment wheel first, then the fine adjustment for clearer detail.

Quick Tip Remember the scale conversions 1mm = 10⁻³m, 1μm = 10⁻⁶m, 1nm = 10⁻⁹m. Each step is 1,000 times smaller than the previous!

Light microscopes use light and lenses for magnification (up to 1000×) and show specimens in colour. Electron microscopes use electron beams for much higher magnification and resolution, though images are not in colour and require specially prepared specimens.

Magnification
• One cell thick.
° • Stain w/ iodine.
• Add cover Slip.
o Slide
on stage.
BIOLOGY
magnification.
wheels.
I
eyepiece.
AM
MICRO

Investigating Osmosis

Osmosis is the movement of water molecules across a partially permeable membrane. This practical helps you see this process in action using potato cylinders.

The method is straightforward cut identical potato cylinders, weigh them, and place them in beakers containing different concentrations of sugar or salt solutions (plus one with pure water). After 24 hours, remove the cylinders, dry them gently, and weigh them again to calculate the percentage change in mass.

When water moves into a potato cylinder by osmosis, its mass increases. Conversely, when water moves out of the cylinder, the mass decreases. This change tells you about the direction of water movement.

Remember The percentage change in mass is calculated using the formula % change = newmassoriginalmassnew mass - original mass ÷ original mass × 100

In this experiment, the concentration of solution is your independent variable, while the percentage change in mass is your dependent variable. This practical demonstrates how osmosis works in real biological tissues.

Magnification
• One cell thick.
° • Stain w/ iodine.
• Add cover Slip.
o Slide
on stage.
BIOLOGY
magnification.
wheels.
I
eyepiece.
AM
MICRO

Investigating Bacterial Growth

This practical helps you understand how antibiotics and antiseptics affect bacterial growth, which is essential knowledge for medicine and health.

The setup involves an agar plate prepared with an even coverage of bacteria. Paper discs soaked in different types or concentrations of antibiotics or antiseptics are placed on the plate. The plate is then sealed and incubated at 25°C.

After incubation, you'll observe zones of inhibition around the paper discs where bacteria couldn't grow. The larger this clear zone, the more effective the antibiotic is against the bacteria. You can measure the diameter of these zones with a ruler.

Did you know? You can calculate the area of the inhibition zone using πr² (where r is the radius), which gives a more accurate measurement of antibiotic effectiveness than just measuring the diameter.

This practical requires careful sterile technique to avoid contamination. The type of antibiotic is your independent variable, while the size of the inhibition zone is your dependent variable.

Magnification
• One cell thick.
° • Stain w/ iodine.
• Add cover Slip.
o Slide
on stage.
BIOLOGY
magnification.
wheels.
I
eyepiece.
AM
MICRO

Culturing Microorganisms

Learning to culture microorganisms safely is a fundamental skill in microbiology. It allows you to study bacteria and test treatments against them.

Aseptic techniques are essential to prevent unwanted microorganisms from contaminating your culture. This includes sterilizing equipment by heating (like passing an inoculating loop through a flame) before use. Your culture medium typically contains agar with nutrients and glucose to feed the bacteria.

When testing antibiotics, you'll observe zones of inhibition where bacteria can't grow. A larger zone indicates a more effective antibiotic. If there's no zone, the bacteria may have developed resistance to that antibiotic.

Lab Safety Always incubate your cultures at 25°C (or 37°C in labs for more rapid growth) and keep the petri dishes sealed and upside down to prevent contamination.

Common sources of error include improper spacing of antibiotic disks and contamination from poor aseptic technique. Remember your variables independent (type of antibiotic), dependent (size of the inhibition zone), and controlled concentrationofantibiotic/nutrientsconcentration of antibiotic/nutrients.

Magnification
• One cell thick.
° • Stain w/ iodine.
• Add cover Slip.
o Slide
on stage.
BIOLOGY
magnification.
wheels.
I
eyepiece.
AM
MICRO

Field Investigations

Ecological field work lets you study organisms in their natural environment. It's a hands-on way to understand how living things interact with their surroundings.

When investigating something like the effect of trampling on plant growth, you might form a hypothesis "Areas with more trampling will have fewer daisy plants than untrampled areas." To test this, you'd use a quadrat (a square frame) placed randomly on the ground to count plants within that area.

For systematic sampling, you can use a transect - a line across an area where measurements are taken at regular intervals. This is great for studying changes across boundaries, like from a footpath to untrampled grass.

Safety First Always wash your hands after ecology work, and when throwing quadrats, throw them low to avoid accidents.

Remember to identify your variables clearly independent variable trampling/lightintensitytrampling/light intensity, dependent variable (number of plants, percentage coverage, abundance score). Repeat your sampling multiple times to calculate reliable means and eliminate bias from your results.

Magnification
• One cell thick.
° • Stain w/ iodine.
• Add cover Slip.
o Slide
on stage.
BIOLOGY
magnification.
wheels.
I
eyepiece.
AM
MICRO

Rates of Reaction

Chemical reactions happen at different speeds depending on certain conditions. Understanding reaction rates is crucial for controlling chemical processes in industry and research.

Temperature significantly affects reaction rates. When you increase temperature, particles move faster and vibrate more energetically, leading to more frequent and more energetic collisions. This increases the likelihood of successful collisions with enough energy to cause a reaction.

Concentration also plays a vital role in reaction rates. A more concentrated solution has more particles in the same volume, resulting in more frequent collisions between reactant particles. Similarly, increasing gas pressure means particles are closer together, also increasing collision frequency.

Try This In the reaction between sodium thiosulphate and hydrochloric acid Na2S2O3+HClNaCl+SO4+H2ONa₂S₂O₃ + HCl → NaCl + SO₄ + H₂O, you can observe the rate by timing how long it takes for the solution to turn cloudy yellow-green due to sulphur formation.

As a reaction progresses, you can measure how the volume or mass changes over time. The rate of these changes indicates the reaction rate - faster changes mean faster reactions.

Magnification
• One cell thick.
° • Stain w/ iodine.
• Add cover Slip.
o Slide
on stage.
BIOLOGY
magnification.
wheels.
I
eyepiece.
AM
MICRO

Equilibrium

Chemical equilibrium is a fascinating state where forward and reverse reactions occur at exactly the same rate. It's like a chemical tug-of-war that results in a perfect balance.

There are different types of systems in chemistry open systems release both mass and heat, closed systems release only heat, and isolated systems release nothing at all. Most equilibrium reactions we study occur in closed systems.

Le Chatelier's principle is crucial to understand if a change is made to a system at equilibrium, the equilibrium position will shift to oppose that change. For example, if you add more reactants, the equilibrium shifts to use them up; if you remove products, it shifts to make more.

Visual Example Hydrated copper sulphate (blue) and anhydrous copper sulphate (white) exist in equilibrium. Adding water shifts to the blue form; heating shifts to the white form.

In a dynamic equilibrium, the forward and reverse reactions continue to occur at equal rates, so there's no overall change in the amounts of reactants and products. This happens in reactions like CO₂(g) ⇌ CO₂(aq) and 2H₂ + O₂ ⇌ 2H₂O.

Magnification
• One cell thick.
° • Stain w/ iodine.
• Add cover Slip.
o Slide
on stage.
BIOLOGY
magnification.
wheels.
I
eyepiece.
AM
MICRO

Electrolysis

Electrolysis is a fascinating process that uses electrical current to drive chemical reactions that wouldn't happen spontaneously. It's how we extract reactive metals and produce many chemicals industrially.

At the anode (positive electrode), negatively charged ions are attracted and discharged. If halide ions (like chloride) are present, they're discharged. Otherwise, hydroxide ions (OH⁻) are discharged following the reaction 4OH⁻ → 4e⁻ + O₂ + 2H₂O.

At the cathode (negative electrode), positively charged ions are attracted. The least reactive element will be discharged first. In solutions with hydrogen ions, you'll see 2H⁺ + 2e⁻ → H₂.

Practical Tip You can test for oxygen gas produced at the anode using damp blue litmus paper - it will bleach in the presence of oxygen.

To perform electrolysis, pour about 50cm³ of solution into a beaker, insert electrodes making sure they don't touch, connect to a 4V power supply, and run for about 5 minutes while making observations. Repeat with different solutions to compare results.

Magnification
• One cell thick.
° • Stain w/ iodine.
• Add cover Slip.
o Slide
on stage.
BIOLOGY
magnification.
wheels.
I
eyepiece.
AM
MICRO

Transformers

Transformers are clever devices that can change the voltage of alternating current electricity without wasting much energy. They're essential for our national electricity grid.

A transformer consists of two coils of wire (primary and secondary) wrapped around an iron core. When alternating current flows through the primary coil, it creates a changing magnetic field in the iron core. This changing field then induces a voltage in the secondary coil.

There are two main types of transformers step-up transformers increase the voltage, while step-down transformers decrease it. The relationship between the voltages depends on the number of turns in each coil.

Remember Transformers only work with alternating current (AC), never with direct current (DC), because you need a changing magnetic field to induce voltage in the secondary coil.

Transformers are based on electromagnetic induction, discovered by Michael Faraday. This principle is used throughout our electrical distribution system to efficiently deliver power to homes and businesses.

Magnification
• One cell thick.
° • Stain w/ iodine.
• Add cover Slip.
o Slide
on stage.
BIOLOGY
magnification.
wheels.
I
eyepiece.
AM
MICRO

The National Grid

The National Grid is the network that distributes electricity across the country. It relies heavily on transformers to work efficiently.

Transformers in the National Grid follow a simple mathematical relationship the ratio of voltages equals the inverse ratio of currents. If we increase the voltage across the secondary coil compared to the primary coil, we decrease the current in the secondary coil proportionally.

This relationship is crucial for efficient power transmission. By stepping up the voltage to very high levels for transmission over long distances, we reduce the current, which dramatically reduces energy losses due to heating in the wires.

Power Fact The voltage in the National Grid's transmission lines can be as high as 400,000 volts, but this is stepped down in stages before reaching the 230V used in UK homes.

Near power stations, step-up transformers increase voltage for transmission. Then, step-down transformers at substations gradually reduce the voltage as electricity gets closer to homes and businesses, making it safe for domestic use.

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Biology

1,024

21 Nov 2025

17 pages

Ultimate Notes for AQA Triple Science

J

jaeden

@jaedenc08

Diving into science can be both exciting and challenging. This summary covers key practical methods, concepts, and techniques from biology, chemistry, and physics that you'll need to understand for your coursework and exams. Each section provides essential information in bite-sized... Show more

Magnification
• One cell thick.
° • Stain w/ iodine.
• Add cover Slip.
o Slide
on stage.
BIOLOGY
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wheels.
I
eyepiece.
AM
MICRO

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Using a Microscope

Microscopes let you see the tiny world that's invisible to our eyes. Knowing how to use one properly is a crucial lab skill you'll use throughout your science education.

To prepare a slide properly, place your specimen on a microscope slide, add a stain like iodine or methylene blue, and carefully place a cover slip on top. This creates a thin, viewable sample that's just one cell thick.

When viewing your sample, always start with the lowest magnification. Place your slide on the stage, lower it to its lowest position, and focus using the coarse adjustment wheel first, then the fine adjustment for clearer detail.

Quick Tip: Remember the scale conversions: 1mm = 10⁻³m, 1μm = 10⁻⁶m, 1nm = 10⁻⁹m. Each step is 1,000 times smaller than the previous!

Light microscopes use light and lenses for magnification (up to 1000×) and show specimens in colour. Electron microscopes use electron beams for much higher magnification and resolution, though images are not in colour and require specially prepared specimens.

Magnification
• One cell thick.
° • Stain w/ iodine.
• Add cover Slip.
o Slide
on stage.
BIOLOGY
magnification.
wheels.
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eyepiece.
AM
MICRO

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Investigating Osmosis

Osmosis is the movement of water molecules across a partially permeable membrane. This practical helps you see this process in action using potato cylinders.

The method is straightforward: cut identical potato cylinders, weigh them, and place them in beakers containing different concentrations of sugar or salt solutions (plus one with pure water). After 24 hours, remove the cylinders, dry them gently, and weigh them again to calculate the percentage change in mass.

When water moves into a potato cylinder by osmosis, its mass increases. Conversely, when water moves out of the cylinder, the mass decreases. This change tells you about the direction of water movement.

Remember: The percentage change in mass is calculated using the formula: % change = newmassoriginalmassnew mass - original mass ÷ original mass × 100

In this experiment, the concentration of solution is your independent variable, while the percentage change in mass is your dependent variable. This practical demonstrates how osmosis works in real biological tissues.

Magnification
• One cell thick.
° • Stain w/ iodine.
• Add cover Slip.
o Slide
on stage.
BIOLOGY
magnification.
wheels.
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AM
MICRO

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Investigating Bacterial Growth

This practical helps you understand how antibiotics and antiseptics affect bacterial growth, which is essential knowledge for medicine and health.

The setup involves an agar plate prepared with an even coverage of bacteria. Paper discs soaked in different types or concentrations of antibiotics or antiseptics are placed on the plate. The plate is then sealed and incubated at 25°C.

After incubation, you'll observe zones of inhibition around the paper discs where bacteria couldn't grow. The larger this clear zone, the more effective the antibiotic is against the bacteria. You can measure the diameter of these zones with a ruler.

Did you know? You can calculate the area of the inhibition zone using πr² (where r is the radius), which gives a more accurate measurement of antibiotic effectiveness than just measuring the diameter.

This practical requires careful sterile technique to avoid contamination. The type of antibiotic is your independent variable, while the size of the inhibition zone is your dependent variable.

Magnification
• One cell thick.
° • Stain w/ iodine.
• Add cover Slip.
o Slide
on stage.
BIOLOGY
magnification.
wheels.
I
eyepiece.
AM
MICRO

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Culturing Microorganisms

Learning to culture microorganisms safely is a fundamental skill in microbiology. It allows you to study bacteria and test treatments against them.

Aseptic techniques are essential to prevent unwanted microorganisms from contaminating your culture. This includes sterilizing equipment by heating (like passing an inoculating loop through a flame) before use. Your culture medium typically contains agar with nutrients and glucose to feed the bacteria.

When testing antibiotics, you'll observe zones of inhibition where bacteria can't grow. A larger zone indicates a more effective antibiotic. If there's no zone, the bacteria may have developed resistance to that antibiotic.

Lab Safety: Always incubate your cultures at 25°C (or 37°C in labs for more rapid growth) and keep the petri dishes sealed and upside down to prevent contamination.

Common sources of error include improper spacing of antibiotic disks and contamination from poor aseptic technique. Remember your variables: independent (type of antibiotic), dependent (size of the inhibition zone), and controlled concentrationofantibiotic/nutrientsconcentration of antibiotic/nutrients.

Magnification
• One cell thick.
° • Stain w/ iodine.
• Add cover Slip.
o Slide
on stage.
BIOLOGY
magnification.
wheels.
I
eyepiece.
AM
MICRO

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Field Investigations

Ecological field work lets you study organisms in their natural environment. It's a hands-on way to understand how living things interact with their surroundings.

When investigating something like the effect of trampling on plant growth, you might form a hypothesis: "Areas with more trampling will have fewer daisy plants than untrampled areas." To test this, you'd use a quadrat (a square frame) placed randomly on the ground to count plants within that area.

For systematic sampling, you can use a transect - a line across an area where measurements are taken at regular intervals. This is great for studying changes across boundaries, like from a footpath to untrampled grass.

Safety First: Always wash your hands after ecology work, and when throwing quadrats, throw them low to avoid accidents.

Remember to identify your variables clearly: independent variable trampling/lightintensitytrampling/light intensity, dependent variable (number of plants, percentage coverage, abundance score). Repeat your sampling multiple times to calculate reliable means and eliminate bias from your results.

Magnification
• One cell thick.
° • Stain w/ iodine.
• Add cover Slip.
o Slide
on stage.
BIOLOGY
magnification.
wheels.
I
eyepiece.
AM
MICRO

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Rates of Reaction

Chemical reactions happen at different speeds depending on certain conditions. Understanding reaction rates is crucial for controlling chemical processes in industry and research.

Temperature significantly affects reaction rates. When you increase temperature, particles move faster and vibrate more energetically, leading to more frequent and more energetic collisions. This increases the likelihood of successful collisions with enough energy to cause a reaction.

Concentration also plays a vital role in reaction rates. A more concentrated solution has more particles in the same volume, resulting in more frequent collisions between reactant particles. Similarly, increasing gas pressure means particles are closer together, also increasing collision frequency.

Try This: In the reaction between sodium thiosulphate and hydrochloric acid Na2S2O3+HClNaCl+SO4+H2ONa₂S₂O₃ + HCl → NaCl + SO₄ + H₂O, you can observe the rate by timing how long it takes for the solution to turn cloudy yellow-green due to sulphur formation.

As a reaction progresses, you can measure how the volume or mass changes over time. The rate of these changes indicates the reaction rate - faster changes mean faster reactions.

Magnification
• One cell thick.
° • Stain w/ iodine.
• Add cover Slip.
o Slide
on stage.
BIOLOGY
magnification.
wheels.
I
eyepiece.
AM
MICRO

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Equilibrium

Chemical equilibrium is a fascinating state where forward and reverse reactions occur at exactly the same rate. It's like a chemical tug-of-war that results in a perfect balance.

There are different types of systems in chemistry: open systems release both mass and heat, closed systems release only heat, and isolated systems release nothing at all. Most equilibrium reactions we study occur in closed systems.

Le Chatelier's principle is crucial to understand: if a change is made to a system at equilibrium, the equilibrium position will shift to oppose that change. For example, if you add more reactants, the equilibrium shifts to use them up; if you remove products, it shifts to make more.

Visual Example: Hydrated copper sulphate (blue) and anhydrous copper sulphate (white) exist in equilibrium. Adding water shifts to the blue form; heating shifts to the white form.

In a dynamic equilibrium, the forward and reverse reactions continue to occur at equal rates, so there's no overall change in the amounts of reactants and products. This happens in reactions like CO₂(g) ⇌ CO₂(aq) and 2H₂ + O₂ ⇌ 2H₂O.

Magnification
• One cell thick.
° • Stain w/ iodine.
• Add cover Slip.
o Slide
on stage.
BIOLOGY
magnification.
wheels.
I
eyepiece.
AM
MICRO

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Electrolysis

Electrolysis is a fascinating process that uses electrical current to drive chemical reactions that wouldn't happen spontaneously. It's how we extract reactive metals and produce many chemicals industrially.

At the anode (positive electrode), negatively charged ions are attracted and discharged. If halide ions (like chloride) are present, they're discharged. Otherwise, hydroxide ions (OH⁻) are discharged following the reaction: 4OH⁻ → 4e⁻ + O₂ + 2H₂O.

At the cathode (negative electrode), positively charged ions are attracted. The least reactive element will be discharged first. In solutions with hydrogen ions, you'll see: 2H⁺ + 2e⁻ → H₂.

Practical Tip: You can test for oxygen gas produced at the anode using damp blue litmus paper - it will bleach in the presence of oxygen.

To perform electrolysis, pour about 50cm³ of solution into a beaker, insert electrodes making sure they don't touch, connect to a 4V power supply, and run for about 5 minutes while making observations. Repeat with different solutions to compare results.

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Transformers

Transformers are clever devices that can change the voltage of alternating current electricity without wasting much energy. They're essential for our national electricity grid.

A transformer consists of two coils of wire (primary and secondary) wrapped around an iron core. When alternating current flows through the primary coil, it creates a changing magnetic field in the iron core. This changing field then induces a voltage in the secondary coil.

There are two main types of transformers: step-up transformers increase the voltage, while step-down transformers decrease it. The relationship between the voltages depends on the number of turns in each coil.

Remember: Transformers only work with alternating current (AC), never with direct current (DC), because you need a changing magnetic field to induce voltage in the secondary coil.

Transformers are based on electromagnetic induction, discovered by Michael Faraday. This principle is used throughout our electrical distribution system to efficiently deliver power to homes and businesses.

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• One cell thick.
° • Stain w/ iodine.
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eyepiece.
AM
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The National Grid

The National Grid is the network that distributes electricity across the country. It relies heavily on transformers to work efficiently.

Transformers in the National Grid follow a simple mathematical relationship: the ratio of voltages equals the inverse ratio of currents. If we increase the voltage across the secondary coil compared to the primary coil, we decrease the current in the secondary coil proportionally.

This relationship is crucial for efficient power transmission. By stepping up the voltage to very high levels for transmission over long distances, we reduce the current, which dramatically reduces energy losses due to heating in the wires.

Power Fact: The voltage in the National Grid's transmission lines can be as high as 400,000 volts, but this is stepped down in stages before reaching the 230V used in UK homes.

Near power stations, step-up transformers increase voltage for transmission. Then, step-down transformers at substations gradually reduce the voltage as electricity gets closer to homes and businesses, making it safe for domestic use.

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