Natural variation

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Amarah Adam

        

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Final        Amarah Adam

Biology- Natural variation

Natural variation- foot size between boys and girls

Abstract

The purpose of the report is to analyze the two major factors that affect how we develop which are genetic and environmental variations. I have presented my data in a table, line graph and bar chart. I also composed a questionnaire. My major conclusions are that genes mostly affect the child’s physical features.

Introduction

I am carrying out this experiment to see the difference in foot sizes of children.  In the case of genetic variation, genes are a section of DNA within the chromosomes of a cell, which give the instructions to a cell about how to make a protein. Inherited information controls how an organism develops. Genes pass on information from the parents to the next generation and in this way, they affect our features. The environment also plays a major role in the development of humans or Homo sapiens. For example, when we spend more time in the sun, our skin gets darker. Diet choices and fitness also have an effect on our features.

Hypothesis:

I expect that maybe, footwear can lead to impaired growth. I also think that the length of their foot will depend on their inherited genes. Probably the older they are the larger their foot.

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Materials and methods

Equipment used:

A4 blank paper- to measure the foot

Tape measure- to measure heights of the children (to see if there is a correlation between height and foot size)

Ruler- to measure the foot size marked by the paper (for precision)

Questionnaire- I used figure 1 as my basis for the report to look for genetic or environmental influences.

  • I went to my local community centre and I asked if I could use six year old children, for an investigation. I chose fifteen boys and fifteen girls. I used six year old children as they were the most popular age group
  • Gathered equipment including questionnaire, paper, ruler, and tape measure. I used a questionnaire to investigate their background information and see how their genetic and environmental variation affected their growth.
  • Asked the children questions about nutrition and diet, health, exercise and ethnic backgrounds
  •  Measured child’s foot size by placing their foot on a paper which lay on a hard surfaced floor. I asked them to remove their footwear before I measured their foot size.
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  • I made sure the toes were not scrunched and marked with a pen from toe to heel
  • After I marked the point of the toe and heel, I used a ruler to measure the markings for precision. The children ranged from 15-23cm in foot size.
  • After I measured their foot I measured the height of the children. I made sure they stood straight against a wall with their heels touching the wall.
  • When parents came to pick their child up, I asked them to come into the office where I was doing my investigation. I questioned the ...

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Sometimes the grammar plural of words are wrongly used, and some wrong words are used in some instances resulting in wrong grammar. Spelling and punctuation seems accurate.

The questionnaire used was adequate and would have addressed a range of confounding factors if the data had been presented in the right way. The science behind the experiment used was quite limited and the candidate could have included evidence of larger scientific understanding behind the topic to gain a higher mark. The evaluation is good and tries to comment on a range of improvements.

The candidate included a reference section which is good for a gcse level candidate. The investigation was carried out adequately and the candidate presented the information in a clear and concise way. The lack of scientific explanations behind the hypothesis and evaluation is the main thing that let this candidate down.