Problem Solving

Higher Biology/ Higher Human Biology

Use in conjunction with problem solving skills

word document
1. Percentages
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Calculate the percentage number of deaths for each year

2014 45÷1070* 100= 4.21

2015 12÷420* 100= 2.86
2016 60÷1960* 100= 3.06
2017 90÷2290* 100= 3.93
Answer A
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60% of 155= 60/100x 155=93
2. Percentage change
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 • Use DOOTH to
calculate a percentage
decrease

Men in England
• 603-324= 277
• 279/603*100= 46.3

Woman in England
• 402-221= 181
• 181/402*100= 45.0

Men in Scotland
Men in England • 684-396= 288
• 288/684*100=42.1

Woman in Scotland
• 476-275= 201
• 201/476*100= 42.2
ATTEMPT THIS QUESTION
Log graph paper

Each line is a jump of 100 000 e.g. 100

000, 200 000, 300 000
Each line is a jump of 10 000 e.g. 10
000, 20 000, 30 000
Each line is a jump of 1 000 e.g. 1000,
2000, 3000

Each line is a jump of 100 e.g. 100,

200, 300
Each line is a jump of 10 e.g. 10,
20,30
Each line is a jump of 1 e.g. 1, 2,3
4000

1 000 000-4000/ 1000000 *100

=99.6
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Use DOOTH

870-200= 670

570/200 x 100= 335

3. Averages
Calculating an Average:

An average is the result that you get when you

add two or more numbers together and divide the
total by the number of numbers you added
together.

1. Add (total) all of the numbers in the set you

want to average.
2. Count how many individual values( groups) are
in the set of numbers.
3. Divide step 1 by step 2 (Divide the total by the
number of groups.)
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Increase in number of species is 14 over 2.8 million years
To get it per million years you must divide 14 by 2.8= 5
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QUESTION
For 2.5g of food 42 times entering torpor per week
= 42/7 per day =6
Average time spent = 120 x 6 = 720.
4. General Calculations
How many times greater is 400 compared to
50.

Simply divide the larger number by the smaller

400 ÷ 50= 8

400 is 8 times bigger that 50.

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3.2 x 109 ÷ 4.0 x 106 = 800
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Calculations
 Calculations

1mg per kg
= 0.1mg per 100g (divide both by 10)
=0.01mg per 10g (divide both by 10)
=0.02mg per 20g (times both by 2)
Given the drug twice a day 0.02mg * 2 = 0.04 mg per day
For 15 days 0.04 *15= 0.6mg Answer D
 5. Conversions:
micrometers to millimeters
 Units of Measurement.
• Metres (m)
• Centimetre (cm) 10-2 or 0.01 of a
metre
1cm = 0.01m
• Millimetres (mm)
10-3 or 0.001 of a metre
• 1mm= 0.001m
2000 20000
• 20 m =_____cm
0.3 =0.003
_______mm
• 3mm =_____ cm = _______m
 Units of Measurement.
Metres (m)
Micrometres (m)
10-6 or 0.000001 of a metre
1m = 1000000 m

10 m =_________
10 000 000 m
3m =_________
3 000 000 m
0.000009=______
9 m
• To covert meters (m) to micrometers
(mm)

Multiply by 1000

• To covert micrometers (mm) to meters

(m)
divide by 1000
 6. Ratios
Hints
• What you do to one number you must do to
the other(s)
• You can only multiply or divide.
• Find the highest factor that divides into both
values.
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324: 396 divide both by 36
9: 11
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9: 15: 90 divide all by 3
3: 5: 30
7. Calculations involving populations
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Step 1- select correct
value from graph 1.
400 / 100 000

Step 2-select the

population size
From graph 2.
3 000 000.

Step 3- calculate how

many 100 000 are in 3
000 000

3 000 000 ÷ 100 000 =

30.

Step 4 – times 400 by 30=

12000.

Answer C
 8. Drawing a graph
BUT…How do I know when to use a bar
graph or a line graph?

Bar graphs should be used with discrete data

e.g. groups or categories such as hair colour
or eye colour

Line graphs should be used with continuous

data – a range of numbers e.g. time in
minutes
 8. Drawing a graph
1) Draw axes clearly with a ruler
2) Label axes including the quantity involved
(e.g: mass, distance, time) AND include units
(e.g: kg, m, s).
3) Use an appropriate and even scale.
4) Fill over 50% of the graph paper.
5) Plot points on the graph using small and
neat points.
6) Join plotted points with a ruler.
9. Drawing a graph
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10. Using data to describe
trends from a graph /table
 Question: Use values from the
graph/table to describe .. The
relationship between two variables
~ 1/2 marks (usually 2!)

 To access the marks you must get the ‘cause and

effect’ correct.
 In biology the variable on the X axis always
influences the variable of the Y axis.
 Graphs/Data in 2 mark Qs will generally have
one/two ‘changing points’ where there is a
noticeable change in the data – these are
important and values should be included in your
answer!
 Need to include the names and the units of both
variables at least once to access all marks.
Things to think about …..
1. Which parts of the table are you looking at?
2. Which variable is the cause? The effect?
3. Where is the ‘changing point’?
4. What happens up to this point?
5. What happens after this point?
Answer:
ATTEMPT THIS QUESTION
Answer:
Things to think about …..
1. Which Y axis are you looking at? Are you using all of the X axis?
2. Where is the ‘changing point (s)’?
3. What happens up to this point?
4. What happens after this point?
Answer:
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Answer:
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HH2019
Answers
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H2019
11. Selecting from a graph / table
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Regular: 830-780=50
HIIT: 820-740=80

Difference=80-50= 30s
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QUESTION
35% of 1000

35÷100*1000= 350.
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Birth rate with donor eggs at age 38 is 54% from table

Birth rate with own eggs at age 38 is 18% from graph

54-18= 36.
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QUESTION
At 60 mins glucose
concentration is
250mg per 100cm3

5 litres of blood
contains 5000cm3

Calculate how many

100 cm3 are in
5000.
5000 / 100=50 cm3

250mg * 50 =
12500mg
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Fruit fly- percentage of genome is 18%

18÷100 x 1.4 x10= 2.52 x 107 or 25 200 000

12. Making predictions from
a graph / table
ATTEMPT THIS
QUESTION
 Read from left hand
scale and blood
glucose line.

Blood glucose dropped

from 250 mg/100cm3
to 205 mg/100 cm3 in
90 mins

So it dropped 45
mg/100 cm3 in 90mins.
Thus it takes (90/45=
2) = 2 mins to drop 1
mg/100 cm3

To return to normal 145

mg/100 cm3, blood
glucose concentartions
must drop (205-145)
another 60 mg/100
cm3 .

It will take 60 * 2 to get

back to normal + 120
Add
decrease
in yield %
for
weeds
and
insects for
all crops.
D is
largest.
ATTEMPT THIS QUESTION
4100

An increase 0.6 x 106 causes and increase in proteins of 300

This is an increase of 50 (300 / 6) per 0.1 x 10 6 which equals an
increase of 50 x 4 per per 0.4 x 106 = 200
3900+200= 4100
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Decrease in pH of 0.8 every 2 days so at 10 days 4.2-0.8= 3.4
13. Describing trends from a graph/
making conclusions from data
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Answer:
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 ✓ ✓

✓ ×
×

×
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14. Interpreting data on a two scale graph
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 300
1.

2.

3.

300
Experimental design
 15. Variables
The independent variable
This is the variable that the experimenter would deliberately change.

The dependent variable

This is the thing that is measured at the end of the investigation.

The controlled variables

This is any other variable that could effect the measured variable and
must be controlled to ensure it stays the same.
 Question:
Identifying control variables …

 If asked to state variables to be kept

constant, you must include variables that
are not already mentioned in the stem of
the question.
 This is the variables that must be
controlled to keep the experiment valid
(fair)
 Think pH, concentration, volume, time,
gender, age etc.
 Careful reading = maximum marks
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16. Control experiment
 Question:
Control experiments…

 A control experiment is an identical ‘dummy’

experiment set up with one exception: the factor
causing the result is missing.
 You can be asked:
• To suggest a control
Basic answer structure:
Set up identical apparatus except use X instead
of •Y. State the purpose of including a control

Basic answer structure:

To prove that ‘independent variable’ was causing
…..
 Question:
Control experiments…

Control experiments use identical apparatus but

substitute the key chemical for an equal volume/mass of
something else:
Key factor Possible substitution
Liquid Equal volume of water
Living organism Equal mass of glass beads or dead organism (e.g.
Dead earthworm/boiled peas)
Enzyme/Yeast Equal volume of boiled enzyme/boiled yeast
solution solution/water
Tissue containing Equal mass of boiled liver.
enzyme, i.e. liver
Set up identical apparatus but use an equal volume of
boiled catalase solution instead of active catalase
To show the change in dependent variable is due to the change in the
independent variable.

To show the increase in heart rate is due to the effect of the hormone.

To allow comparison with the fleas with the hormone

ATTEMPT THIS QUESTION
17. Reliability
 Question:
Reliability…

You can be asked this one of two ways:

1. How would you increase reliability?
 You must state precisely what you would do – e.g.
repeat the experiment at each pH
 E.g. ‘repeat the experiment and calculate an average’

2. Describe how the design of the experiment

ensured reliability.
 READ the information available to you – the answer is
in there!
 E.g. They had 5 samples at each pH instead of just
one.
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Answer:
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18. Validity
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To be valid both the
treatment group and
placebo group must
have the same balance
of the females
smokers, female non
smokers, males
smokers and male non
smokers.

so answer B
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19. Accuracy
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21. Conclusion
 Question:
Drawing conclusions…

 You must first READ the stem of the questions and

identify what the investigation was aiming to find out.

 Secondly, READ the data given (graphs, tables etc)

 You must correctly identify the cause and effect

 Most conclusions are one sentence long.

 Ensure your conclusion relates to the dependent

variable and not the measured variable.
ATTEMPT THIS QUESTION
Answer:
A protein supplement is used by some people who take part in sport. They
believe its use increases muscle mass and therefore improves performance in
sporting activities such as weightlifting.
An investigation was carried out to test if protein supplements improved the
ability of the upper leg muscles to raise weights.

ATTEMPT THIS QUESTION

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22. Explaining data expressed as /1000
or as a percentage
 Question:
Converting data into percentages….

 Experiments that compare data from different

groups of individuals rarely have the same
number of participants.
 To allow data to be compare it is often converted
into percentages.

 You can be asked why the data has been

converted into percentages…

Basic answer structure:

Because each of the groups/experiments had
different numbers of participants/starting values.
 Question:
why is data expressed as per 1000….

 Experiments that compare data from different

populations of individuals rarely have the same
number of participants.
 To allow data to be compare it is often expressed
as a value / 1000

 You can be asked why the data is expressed as

/1000
Basic answer structure:
Because each of the groups had different
population numbers.
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23. Error bars
The error bars on a graph show several
things:

1. The variability of the data (large error bars means the data
is more variable).

Data bar “e” has the largest error bars so is more variable
than
data set “b” which has the smallest error bars so is the
least
The error bars on a graph show several
things:
2. The statistical significance

The data is
significantly
different as the
error bars do
not overlap
The data is not significantly
different as the error bars overlap
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The
end