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How to choose your hypothesis

There are three exam board regulations that we must take into account.

" No two students can do the same thing."
" The knowledge you need to use must be related to the AS Biology syllabus."
" Everything, including formulating the hypothesis, must be the student's own work without help. (you can of course check ideas & queries with your teacher)"

As soon as you have decided on your hypothesis record it on the "official list". This claims it for you and no one else is allowed to do it. If you haven't decided yet, keep checking the list as someone may already have chosen something you are thinking about. You must decide by the October half term at the latest.

Some areas of work you could consider are described over the page. Look at the syllabus to see the type of things we are going to cover. In the end your hypothesis must be precise and concise. You must be able to carry out the practical work in school in less than one week of Biology lessons (allowing time for things to go wrong!). You must be able to get hold of the materials you need either yourself or through school.

Here are some examples. You are not able to do these they are just by way of example.

Hypothesis
The position of a seaweed on the rocky shore is related to its rate of water loss when out of water.

Hypothesis
Sunflower seeds produce a growth inhibitor that stops other sunflower seeds from germinating too close to it.

Hypothesis
A person's rate of reaction is related to the temperature of the environment they are in.

Some areas of work you could consider:

" The heart of Daphnia (a water flea) is easily visible through its body wall using a microscope. Its heart rate can be affected by the conditions in which it lives.

" The membrane of a cell allows things to pass through it. The conditions the membrane is exposed to may effect how permeable it is.

" Enzymes are easily poisoned or inhibited in many ways and this affects their performance.

" We often quote the optimum conditions for enzymes but are these the same for the enzymes found in all living things.

" Enzymes are used in many ways in industry this includes fruit juice production, immobilisation, washing powders.

" Woodlice are often found under rocks, tree trunks or pots. Why do they live there? How do they get there?

" Water is important to plants. It gives support by making the cells turgid and it passes through the plant and out by transpiration.

" Cooking can affect food in various ways. The vitamin content may change as well as the food's texture.

" When fermenting Biogas or alcohol it is important to maximise the yield by getting the conditions right.

These are just some aspects of Biology for you to consider ~ you do not have to form a hypothesis related to these. You can do anything you are interested in related to AS Biology