7 Cell Raps to Help Memorize the Functions of Cells

If you’re studying for a science test, one of the best ways to help remember the material is by setting to music! That’s right; cell raps can help you remember the names of the organelles located in each cell, as well as their functions.

We’ve rounded up our top seven picks for cell raps that we think you’re going to love.

Best Cell Rap for Sixth-Graders: Cells Cells by Crappy Teacher

5 out of 5 stars

As YouTuber CrappyTeacher (Emily Crapnell) explains in her cell rap video, she created this video to help her sixth-grade science students learn the different parts of a cell. At over 5.7 million views, it seems that this cell rap has caught on with more than just Crapnell’s students! We can’t blame people for watching it; it’s catching and makes science–dare we say it?–fun!

“Today’s the day,” the rap begins; “let’s talk about the building blocks of life–cells that make us.”

The cell rap chorus covers some of the most vital parts of cellular biology. It explains that cells are made of organelles, and mentions cytoplasm, the nucleus (“controllin’ everything”), the membrane, the vacuole (“we can float around for hours”), and chloroplasts by name.

The next chorus explains that there are two different types of cells–animal and plant cells, while the final three stanzas are devoted to explaining in more details with each part of the cell does. “The cell membrane is the border patrol,” raps CrappyTeacher, and then later, “The mitochondria’s something every cell needs, breaking down the food and releasin’ energy.”

Over second thousand people have taken the time to comment on this cell rap. Many mention how they heard it years ago and still remember it, speaking to the catchy lyrics and the arresting beat. While designed for sixth-graders, the content is sophisticated enough that even college students report finding it helpful!

We also feel like it’s one of the best mixes of catchy lyrics and useful information, managing to find a good balance between repetition and new information. Plus, it provides a great video with very helpful images which will further solidify the information in your mind. For these reasons, we’ve given it five stars!

The rap can be viewed here or may be purchased.

Best Karaoke Option: The Cell Song by Glenn Wolkenfeld

5 out of 5 stars

The Cell Song, created and sung by Glenn Wolkenfeld, isn’t a cell rap–but it is a fantastic way to use the power of song to help commit the parts of a cell to memory! And with over two million views, we’re not the only people who think so.

The song is a folksy, bluesy tune where the singer asks what happens when he goes into a cell. “Who drives this bus,” sings Wolkenfeld, and then he “found myself talking to the boss, the nucleus.”

Wolkenfeld does two things in this song; he gets deeper into the molecular biology involved in the parts of a cell, and he offers a karaoke version.

Unlike some of the other cell raps available, The Cell Song explains that chromosomes stores genetic information, the ribosomes make proteins, and the lysosome use enzymes to dissolve, and centrioles organize chromosomes into spindles.

Wolkenfeld also uses The Cell Song to explain how rigid cell walls allow plants to grow extremely tall, and the purpose of green in the plant cell. “I went into a plant cell, ‘why’s it so green?’” sings the artist. “‘Cause I make food from sunlight,’” answers a green chloroplast.

The video is filled with helpful drawings and diagrams to further illustrate each concept. Wolkenfeld, as we mentioned already, also offers a karaoke version, which is the same version, but instead of Wolkenfeld singing, the lyrics are on the screen.

The Cell Song, like Cells Cells by CrappyTeacher, also gets five stars thanks to its ability to combine great video content with helpful, relevant information about cells.

You can find The Cell Song here, and the karaoke version here.

Best Song With Video: The Parts of a Cell Song by Jam Campus

5 out of 5 stars

The Parts of a Cell Song is a cell rap created by an organization called Jam Campus. It’s one of many Jam Campus creations; in fact, the YouTube channel creates educational videos on everything history to science to mathematics.

With over 54,000 views, The Parts of a Cell Song is catchy and well-loved. What we especially love, in addition to the self-made music, is the high quality illustrated video! Any time you can marry great visual images with catchy lyrics, you increase the likelihood of you remembering the information.

The Parts of a Cell Song gets right down to business, stating in its first line, “here’s what each cell contains, outer layer is the cell membrane.” The lyrics point out where cells get their energy (mitochondria), and what ribosomes do (help with protein synthesis).

We also appreciate this lyric, which helps to sum up the parts of a cell, something most cell raps don’t do:

Cell membrane, mitochondria, lysosomes and the ribosomesCytoplasm, nucleus, E.R. and Golgi body, and the nucleolus

We especially appreciate how accurate the presented information is here (many cell raps mistakenly identify ribosomes as making proteins; however, they simply help in the assembly of polypeptides, chains of amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein), which is a big part of why this song gets five out of five stars.

Best for Repetitive Learning: The Cell Rap with Mr. Simons’ Fifth Grade Class

4 out of 5 stars

Mr. Simons and his fifth grade have teamed up to create another great cell rap, available on YouTube. This cell rap has approximately 468,000 views, and we understand why–out of all the cell raps we’re sharing today, this one is probably the most likely to get stuck in your head!

Every song has to decide how to balance repetition with new information; as you’ll see later, some of the cell rap songs we’ve rounded up choose to focus on including as much data as possible. This rap, however, from Jake Simons, focuses on repetition.

In fact, we feel it focuses a little too much on repetition (we downgraded it to four stars), but it’s still a great rap that will help cement many of the things you’re learning about cell biology into your memory.

This five-minute rap features the cytoplasm, the nucleus, the membrane, the vacuoles, and the mitochondria of the cell. Here’s an example of a lyric:

“Just like us, the cell has energy. The mitochondria takes the food and puts it where it needs to be.”

Here’s another line from the cell rap, this one memorably explaining how the cell membrane works:

“There’s a thing called a membrane that holds it all in place so none of us will ever complain.”

Is this the cell rap to turn to if you need to memorize complicated material? Probably not; but it is a great option for younger students or people who need just the basic parts of a cell!

Best Use of Additional Resources: The Cell Song by Keith Smolinski

4 out of 5 stars

The Cell Song was written and recorded by Dr. Keith Smolinski as part of a doctoral study to research how music can help students learn complex science concepts. In addition to The Cell Song, which features the parts of a cell, there are another nine songs sold in an album called Biorhythms: The Music of Life Science.

Songs in Biorhythms cover everything from cellular division, to the digestive tract, to the ecosystem. The song we’re featuring, The Cell Song, isn’t a cell rap, but it is well-performed, catchy, and interesting to listen to!

While the accompanying video doesn’t include images (that’s why it only has four stars and not five), it does utilize the lyrics on screen. In just two minutes and nineteen seconds, Dr. Smolinski manages to cover everything from the nucleus to the cell membranes.

In The Cell Song, listeners learn that the nucleus contains the genetic code, the mitochondria are the power plants of the cell, and the vacuoles store food and water. We also learn that the ribosomes make proteins, the Golgi bodies pack and ship the proteins, and the endoplasmic reticulum carries them.

Plus, the song teaches that lysosomes are janitors, cytoplasm is gel-like, and cell membranes help regulate what comes in and out of the cell.

In the notes section of this video, Dr. Smolinski also explains that additional teacher’s resources are available on his website, including a Teacher’s Guide for The Cell Song. All of Dr. Smolinski’s resources are based on the National and State of Connecticut Science Standards, so you can be sure you’re getting accurate and helpful information.

Best Rap Alternative: Organelles Song by ParrMr

4 out of 5 stars

ParrMr, a YouTube creator, has garnered over one hundred thousand subscribers thanks to her (or his!) ability to put science lyrics to popular songs. If you cringe over cells raps or want music you’re already familiar with, you can find videos on everything from Pangaea to the atmosphere to the planets.

ParrMr’s songs are set to hits like Forget You by Cee Lo Green, Toothbrush by D’NCE, and Jealous by Nick Jonas. The one we’re featuring here, with four out of five stars, is Organelles Song, set to Counting Stars by OneRepublic.

The music is easy to remember if you’re already familiar with the song–our one complaint, however, is that the lyrics have very little repetition. This has the upside of packing a ton of information into the four-plus minute song, but if you’re trying to make sure the material sticks, this might be a downside.

“Look inside a cell,” sings ParrMr, who created this song for his or her sixth-grade students, “and you will see…organelles have jobs, yeah, organelles have…jobs.”

The next lines focus on how plant cell walls and cell membranes protect the line like a fence, letting the right things in and out. ParrMr covers vacuoles, lysosomes, the nucleus, chromatin, DNA, and ribosomes.

The final stanza explains proteins and their relationships to the endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi bodies, and cytoplasm. Mitochondria and chloroplasts are also mentioned.

Organelles Song by ParrMr has racked up over 700,000 views, and for a good reason–we give this cells video four out of five stars!

Runner-up Rap Alternative: Cells Song by ParrMr

3 out of 5 stars

Another much-loved option (four hundred thousand views!) by ParrMr, also for a sixth-grade classroom, this is another song about cells set to hit music. This one, called Cells Song, is set to Sail by AWOLNATION.

In it, ParrMr sings about cell membranes, cytoplasm, organelles, mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, ribosomes, and Golgi bodies.

“Cells cells cells cells cells,” he sings, before starting another chorus about vacuoles, the nucleus, and lysosomes.

Here is the final stanza:

Capturing Sun’s energyChloroplasts in plants and treesAnd cell walls giving box-like shape, rigid

If you’re a fan of pop or dance music or are simply looking for a non-rap alternative to cell raps, this is a great option. It’s short on useful information, but what is included is presented appealingly, and will be likely to stick!

Thanks to these seven awesome cell raps, we have a feeling you’re going to ace your next quiz or test. We’d say good luck, but we don’t think you’ll need it!

7 Bio Poem to Help Remember the Hardest Material For Biology Test

Biology is a massive subject, and if you’re trying to study for a test, remembering all those facts, strange Latin names, and confusing concepts can seem impossible. The smartest students, however, have found clever ways to increase the amount of information they remember. One of the best ways is using a biology poem to help remember the difficult material.

A bio poem is a mnemonic device or a simple poem that includes the facts, names, or concepts you’re trying to remember. The idea is that your brain retains the information better that way, and when it comes down to test day, you’ll be able to call forth the learned material by reciting the poem.

Below, we’ve listed seven bio poems that will help you perform better on your next exam. Plus, keep reading for the ultimate guide on remembering difficult things and studying for big exams.

How We Chose Our Ratings

You can see below that we’ve rated the poems we’ve included in this roundup; since we’ve scoured available bio poems, we’ve been able to bring you only the best and most helpful.

Top 7 Best Bio Poems

Best Classic Biology Poem: Dear King Philip

5 out of 5 stars

A mnemonic device is a great way to help our brains remember complicated groups of information–especially when the data has to go in a specific order. The Dear King Philip device has been used for generations to help students remember the order of taxa in biology.

The order is as follows: Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species.

Each of the mnemonic’s first words matches the words of the taxa, in order: Dear King Philip Came Over For Good Spaghetti.

It sounds ridiculous and hilarious, but that’s exactly why it works so well; because it involves our emotional response (laughter and hilarity), we’re more likely to remember it! Other variations include the following:

Dumb Kids Prefer Cheese Over Fried Green Spinach
Do Kings Play Chess On Fine Green Silk?
Dakota Kills People Cause Other Friends Got Sad

The following two classic biology mnemonics don’t include the letter D, so if your biology professor doesn’t ask for you to remember Domain, these will work better for you:

Keep Pond Clean Or Fish Get Sick
Kids Pick Candy Over Fancy Green Salad

You can also make up your own.

With or without the Domain, a taxon is a group of organisms. Taxonomists use these groups to organize what we know about animals. African elephants, for example, form the genus Loxodonta. While scientists largely agree on where African elephants belong, they often disagree about other classifications, a fact that isn’t widely known!

Best Basic Bio Poem: MRS GREN

5 out of 5 stars

Mnemonics can help us remember extremely simple things (the difference between dessert and desert, for example, is the extra s, which gives you a clue about its meaning. Don’t you want to eat more dessert?) but they can also help you outline more complicated concepts.

Biology teaches us that seven processes define living things, and once again we turn to a mnemonic to help us remember that process: MRS GREN.

The letters stand for the following:

M → Movement
R → Respiration
S → Sensation

G → Growth
R → Reproduction
E → Excretion
N → Nutrition

Movement is a vital process for living things as it allows them to find or better position themselves to attract or produce food.

Respiration is the process through which living things convert energy from carbohydrates and fats. Most of the organisms we’re familiar with use oxygen to break down (this produces a by-product know as carbon dioxide), but some organisms utilize nitrates, iron, or other material to break the sugars down.

Sensitivity is connected to movement and, in fact, is what triggers movement for many organisms. An organism is a living organism if it can react to changes in its environment. A plant, for example, will move its leaves towards the sun or towards a grow light.

Just like sensitivity and movement are connected in this bio poem, so growth and respiration are connected. In fact, it is respiration that allows for growth!

The excess energy organisms create when they break down sugars during respiration can be used in the production of new cells–whether that’s a larger shell (as in the case of a snail) or a new leaf (as in the case of a plant). Special note: for growth to be considered, it must be irreversible.

Reproduction is the fifth of the living processes that define whether or not something is alive. It can range from the ultra-simple division of cells to the conception of new human life!

We’ve already referenced one by-product that occurs during normal function in a living cell–carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is excreted and is an example of the sixth living process: excretion. A living simple creates waste as it functions normally, and this waste must be excreted.

Nutrition is the taking in of food. That food can vary wildly and can be anything from water in the soil to other organisms. Regardless, nutrition is a vital part of the living process.

Best Bio Poem for Phases of Mitosis: I Passed My Anatomy Test

5 out of 5 stars

Another great bio poem that lends itself to helping us remembering the phases of mitosis is this one: I Passed My Anatomy Test. The letters (I, P, M, A, and T), stand for the following phases:

Prophase
Metaphase
Anaphase
Telophase

If your professor requires you to learn about cytokinesis, as well (this phase begins during anaphase or telophase), you can add the word “calmly” onto your bio poem so that it reads: I Passed My Anatomy Test Calmly.

Other possible devices for the phases of mitosis include the following:

I Propose Men Are Toads
Idiot, Pass Me Another Tequila
I Picked My Apples Today

Which device should you select? Choose the one that makes you laugh, smile, or that sticks in your head readily. The easier it is for you to remember, the better!

Best Bio Poem for Embryonic Development: Zikes!

5 out of 5 stars

There are four stages of embryonic development:

Zygote, in which the fertilized ovum (the united sperm and egg cells) begins to divide rapidly
Morula, which is comprised of 10-30 cells
Blastula, which gets its names from the Greek word for “sprout,” and in which the morula forms an inner cavity filled with fluid, forming a blastula
Gastrulation is the embryonic phase in which the blastula (single-layered) turns into the gastrula (three-layered)
Neurula, in which the nervous system becomes to develop

The first letters of each of these stages correspond to the following mnemonic: Zikes! Martin is a Big Giant Nerd! (Note that “is” and “a” aren’t counted!)

Best Bio Poem for Taxonomy of Humans: All Cool Men

5 out of 5 stars

A common question that likes to pop up on biology tests is about the taxonomy of humans, and these clever devices help us remember the right order.

First, here’s the taxonomy: Animalia, Chordata, Mammalia, Primate, Hominidae, Homo sapien.

Now, here’s the mnemonic: All Cool Men Prefer Having Heavy Sideburns.

Best Bio Poem for Kingdoms of Life: Biology People

5 out of 5 stars

If you’re confident the kingdoms of life will show up on your biology exam soon, here’s a great bio poem to help you remember the five kingdoms: Biology People Find Plants Attractive.

It will help you remember these five kingdoms:

Bacteria (monera)
Protista
Fungi
Plantae
Animalia

Best Bio Poem for Major Fungal Classes: Zombies

5 out of 5 stars

Another hilarious mnemonic device–Zombies Are Brown and Dirty–is one of several that can help you recall the major fungal classes!

The classes are:

Zygomycetes
Basidiomycetes
Deuteromycetes
Ascomycetes

In addition to Zombies Are Brown and Dirty, you can use:

Zap A Bear Dead
Zebras Are Big Dummies
All Zebras Dance Badly

Using Poetry to Help You Remember Things

Memory is a fascinating process and understanding how it works can help you better study for your next exam–with or without a bio poem!

The first step in remembering is called encoding. Encoding is the process through which something external–an interaction with another person, a biology concept, or the route to a new place, for example–is converted into a construct. A construct is stored inside the brain and if it’s laid down correctly, can be played later, like a movie.

Encoding a Memory

Encoding begins when we pay attention to something, and our interest in the subject matters hugely, as does emotion. This is why, for example, it’s so easy to remember the lyrics from a favorite song. Music can evoke emotion, and because we like the genre, we’re paying close attention.

However, you probably have trouble remembering the name on the nametag of the person who checked out your groceries this morning–because you weren’t very interested and because no emotions were called for.

This is why poetry is so helpful. By translating obtuse concepts into funny, interesting rhymes (even if you don’t think the rhyme is interesting; the new combination of words that rhyme is read as unusual and worth paying attention to by your brain) help you recall complex or boring material at a later time.

Two More Powerful Memory Devices

Using bio poems, however, isn’t the only way to remember complicated information. There is a whole host of available memory devices that can improve your ability to retain and recall reams of data. Here are just a few:

1. Method of Loci

“Loci” means “places” in Latin and the method of loci is often called the memory journey or the memory palace in today’s world. This memory device has been around since the time of the ancient Romans and Greeks (Cicero, for example, wrote about it in his De Oratore). It’s used today by champion memorizers and sometimes even shows up in pop culture (in the hit television show Sherlock, for example).

To use the method of loci, visualize the physical layout of a place that’s familiar to you–your bedroom, for example. Then, assign a concept or term to the different objects in your bedroom. Here is an example of how you might assign parts of a cell:

Doorway → lysosome
Carpet → nucleus
Nightstand → nucleolus
Lamp → microtubules
Water bottle → cytoplasm
Clock → Golgi apparatus
Bed frame → mitochondrion
Mattress → Golgi vesicles
Pillow → rough endoplasmic reticulum
Bedspread/comforter → smooth endoplasmic reticulum
Curtains → cell membrane
Poster → centrioles
Trophy → pinocytotic vesicle

You can assign more than just the name to each place in your bedroom; you can also assign the function of each part of the cell.

This way, when you get to a test question that asks you to name the parts of a cell and their functions, you can mentally “walk” through your room, and each object in your room will help trigger your recall so you can answer the test question.

2. Chunking & Organizing

Chunking is a method of memory recall best explained by two popular examples: telephone numbers and social security numbers.

Telephone numbers have as many as eleven numbers, and social security numbers have nine; a string of eleven numbers or nine numbers would be difficult to memorize, but by organizing the strings into smaller chunks of numbers, they’re accessible to even small children!

This is a great device to use when you’re dealing with long strings of information because you’ll be able to focus on smaller groups instead of larger pieces of data, which have the added issue of being overwhelming!

Your Best Exam Yet

Thanks to the seven bio poems and two memory devices we shared above, you’re all set for your best exam yet. Good luck!

Significant Figures Worksheet(Sig Figs): Definition, Examples, and Practice

Meta: Whether you’re relatively new to significant figures or are just looking for a refresher, you’ve come to the right place. Read on to learn more!

Significant Figures (Sig Figs): Definition, Examples, and Practice

Significant figures are a vital concept when you’re working in any field that requires precision; chemistry, for example. And while it feels like a complex subject, it’s fairly simple and straightforward. In this article, we’re answering your questions about significant figures and prepping you for significant figures worksheets with lots of examples.

Reason for Significant Figures

We can all agree that there’s nothing worse than complicated mathematics concepts that don’t seem to have anything to do with real life. Fortunately, that’s not the case with significant figures! The primary purpose for this somewhat abstract concept is precision.

The numbers we use in everyday life, as it turns, are not that precise. When you’re working in specialized fields, however, the precision of the data is everything. Significant figures help you communicate how precisely you’ve measured and help to ensure mistakes are made with the data.

Let’s Build a Tower

Here’s an example: let’s say you’re building a tower. As you might imagine, precision matters hugely. You don’t want to get to the top of the tower only to realize your tower is taller–or shorter!–than you thought. Let’s say, then, that the steel manufacturer has measured its vertical beams to the nearest centimeter and is sending you three beams that are each 20.5 meters tall.

This measurement is precise to the centimeter, but the number doesn’t tell you anything about millimeters. This is a problem because the glass you’re cutting to cover the building in is measured to the nearest millimeter; in fact, the glass company is sending the glass to you in 15.75-meter sheets.

You know that your steel beams will stand end to end and that your finished tower will be (20.5*3) meters tall, or 61.5 meters tall. Three glass sheets will be 47.25 meters tall; too short. Four glass sheets will be 63 meters tall; too tall. You’ll need to lay three sheets of glass and cut the fourth to size. Now you need to figure out how much you should cut down that fourth sheet of glass.

The Problem With Imprecision

Here’s the problem: your steel is measured to the centimeter, but the glass cutter cuts to the millimeter. Each steel beam is 20.5 meters, which means it’s twenty meters and five centimeters; but how many millimeters is it?

We don’t know. It could be three millimeters (20.53 meters), or it could be seven millimeters (20.57 meters). Let’s say it’s the latter, and your three steel beams each have an extra seven millimeters that you don’t know about because they’ve only been measured to the nearest centimeter.

You think you’ve only got 61.5 meters of a tower (because 20.5*3 = 61.5) but you have 61.71 meters (because 20.57*3 = 61.71). That’s a difference of .21 meters, or a whopping two centimeters and one millimeter! If you cut your glass to 61.5 meters, you’ll get to the top of the tower to install it–only to realize you’re missing two centimeters and a millimeter of glass.

Oops!

This is an oversimplified example, but it helps to illustrate how important precision is–and now you know how significant figures work, even if you don’t know the concept by that name yet. That’s for the next section!

Rules for Significant Figures

The first thing you should remember is that significance doesn’t indicate whether a number is computed or not; it simply indicates the precision of measurement. We’ll explain; let’s start with the basic ground rules about significant figures, and then we’ll practice with some examples you might see on a significant figures worksheet:

If it’s not a zero, the number is a significant figure (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 are all significant no matter where they are in the number)
If a zero is between a non-zero digit, it is significant (e.g., the zeros in these numbers are significant: 507, 5007, 5000.07)
Trailing zeros (the zeros at the end of a number) are only significant if the number has a decimal point (e.g., 5.0500 or 5.50); they are not significant if there are no decimal points (e.g., 500 or 50) (special note: in the latter case, significance can be indicated with a bar above or below the last measured figure)
Leading zeros (zeros before non-zeros) are never significant (e.g., 005 or 0.005)

EXAMPLES

51 has two significant figures (5 and 1; all numbers are non-zeros)
1234.56 has six significant figures (1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6; all numbers are non-zeros)
505.5505 has seven significant figures (5, 5, 0, 5, 5, 0, and 5; all non-zeros are significant, and all zeros between non-zeros are significant)
0.0057 has two significant figures (5 and 7; the zeros are leading and are not significant)
500 and 50 each have one significant figure (5 and 5; trailing zeros are not significant unless there is a decimal point)
5.0500 has five significant figures (5, 0, 5, 0, and 0; the first zero is between two non-zeros and the trailing zeros are significant because the number contains a decimal)
0.00050500 has five significant figures also (remember that leading zeros do not count)
1300 has two significant figures (one and three) while 1300. has four significant figures (1, 3, 0, and 0) because the latter number has a decimal point

Multiplying, Dividing, Adding, and Subtracting with Significant Figures

Before we get into the mechanics of multiplying, dividing, adding, and subtracting with significant figures, you’ll first need to know how to round up significant figures. For example, if you have a number (let’s say 54.896) that has five significant figures, and you need to round it up to three significant figures, how do you do that?

Rounding Up

Here’s how:

Identify the significant figures (in our example, there are five significant numbers: 5, 4, 8, 9, and 6)
Identify the last of the desired significant figures (we know we need three significant figures, so eight, the third significant figure from the left, is the last significant figure)
Look at the number to the right of the significant figure. If it is five or greater, add one to the last significant figure (in our example, eight is followed by nine; nine is greater than 5; therefore, eight is rounded up by 1 to 9 so that our new number is 54.9). If, however, the number is four or less, simply remove all the remaining numbers to the left (don’t replace them with zeros)

Here’s another example using 0.01234500:

If you want to round it to three significant figures, the answer would be 0.0123 (leading zeros are not significant; 4 is less than five, so 4 and all subsequent numbers are removed).

Special note: rounding significant figures is different than rounding decimals. For example, if you wanted to round our example number to three decimal places, the answer would be .012, which is a different number altogether from a precision standpoint.

Multiplying and Dividing

When you begin working seriously with multiplying and dividing, you’ll notice how quickly things can move from precise to imprecise. For example, let’s go back to our tower example and say we want to measure the area of our glass sheets. They are 15.75 meters tall and 2.5 meters wide.

A simple calculation (15.75*2.5=39.375) tells us the area is 39.375, but if you’re thinking, “wait! That measurement is more precise than what we measured!” you’d be right. To keep our quotients and products as precise as our initial measurements, we need to round up (or down).

The general rule is that the significant figures in the answer cannot be more than the smallest amount of significant figures used in the equation. In our glass sheets example, the two numbers we multiplied are 15.75 (which has four significant figures) and 2.5 (which has two significant figures). The smallest number of significant figures in either of these factors is two, so our answer can’t have more than two significant figures.

Our answer (39.375) has five significant figures, with 9 being the second significant figure. The number to the right of 9 is 3, which is less than 5, so we simply discard 3 and everything to its right. Our answer, then, is 40. (9 rolls to the 0 and the 3 becomes a 4; also note the use of the decimal!).

Adding and Subtracting

Adding and subtracting numbers with different amounts of significant digits is very similar to multiplying and dividing, except that the rounding up (or down) happens before the calculation.

Back to our tower example, let’s say you had one steel beam that was 20.5 meters and one that was 20.45 meters, you are dealing with two different levels of precision. The first beam has three significant figures and is less precise than the second beam, which has four significant figures.

If you add them together as is, it’s just messy. So, you need to round up the more precise number so that it matches the least precise number. That is, you would round up 20.45 to 20.5 and add both numbers (20.5 + 20.5 = 41.0; note that the answer is also precise to three significant figures).

Hopefully, significant figures are no longer mystifying, and you’re ready to tackle your significant figures worksheet; good luck!

Classification of Living Things: Definition, Examples, and Practice

For centuries, there were only two ways to classify living things; either as a plant or an animal. Today, thanks to the classification of living things, we can gain a better understanding of all living organisms. Learn more about the classification of living things and some tips for remembering the classification.

Classification of Living Things: Definition, Examples, and Practice

From an early age, we all learned the difference between plants and animals, and it probably wasn’t until a few years later when we learned that there are different types of animals and plants; even though they share some similarities, they are entirely different.

Centuries ago, living things were classified as either plants or animals. Today, the classification of living things helps us gain a better understanding of the world we live in, our relation to living things, and understanding Biology better overall. Let’s take a closer look at the classification, a little bit of its history, and some tips for learning how to use it when exploring a living organism.

What Is The Classification Of Living Things?

You might already know a little about the classification of living things, which is also referred to as taxonomy. Many students learn the basics of taxonomy in elementary school, but unless you spend a lot of time focused on Biology, the details may have become a bit fuzzy over the years.

Classification of all living things got its start with Swedish Botanist, Carl Linnaeus. Due to his interest in plants and animals, his first classification guide, Systema Naturae, was published in 1735.

Linnaeus, who is often considered to be the “Father of Taxonomy,” and his classification system is still in use today. While the classification system continues to grow, Linnaeus will always remain an integral part of how we name, rank, and classify plants and animals.

The classification system starts out by sorting living organisms into groups based on basic and shared characteristics (such as a plant or animal). Then each group is broken down further into more specific classifications; it might be helpful to think of a classification system like a family tree.

Next, we’ll take a closer look at the eight levels of the taxonomy, depending on your resource, you may see seven levels discussed.

Domain

The first or top level of the classification system is the domain. A domain has the most number of individuals in the group since it’s the broadest level. The domain level helps to distinguish between cell types. Currently, there are three types of domains, which include Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya.

Kingdom

Kingdoms are levels which are broken down from the domains. There are six kingdoms which include Eubacteria, Archaebacteria, Plantae, Animalia, Fungi, and Protista. While kingdoms are a little more specific, it should still be relatively easy to categorize a living organism based on the kingdom.

The Plantae Kingdom is broken down even further to include divisions. The following divisions include:

Bryophyta: mosses, liverworts, and hornworts
Psilotophyta: whisk ferns
Lycophyta: club mosses and quillworts
Sphenophyta: horsetails
Polypodiophyta: ferns
Coniferophyta: pines, spruces, redwoods
Ginkgophyta: ginkgoes
Cycadophyta: cycads
Gnetophyta: gnetophytes
Magnoliophyta: flowering plants

Learning the kingdoms can be a little tricky, and if you don’t get the kingdoms right from the beginning, you may have a difficult time classifying something correctly. Check out this checklist for figuring out which kingdom that an organism belongs to.

Phylum

The phylum is the next level in the classification system and is used to group living organisms together based on some common features. A good example to consider is when you sort your laundry by items of clothes. Your socks aren’t all the same, you most likely group them together and put them in the same dresser drawer.

Consider the animal kingdom, there is a phylum group called “chordates,” and it refers to all animals with a spinal column. As humans, we are also part of the chordate phylum. Like the Plantae Kingdom, phyla is broken down into divisions:

Porifera: sponges
Coelenterata: jellyfish, hydras, and corals
Platyhelminthes: flatworms
Nematoda: roundworms
Annelida: segmented worms
Arthropoda: arthropods like insects
Mollusca: mollusks like clams
Echinodermata: sea urchins
Chordata: chordates

Class

The class level is another way to group together organisms that are alike, but it becomes even more specific than phylum. There are more than 100 classes, but some of the more common ones that you’ll likely use on a regular basis in Biology class includes the vertebrates, invertebrates, dicots, or monocots.

Order

As you might guess, the order is just another way to break down the class of plants and animals. Think of it as “refining your search.” Some orders include carnivores, primates, rodents, fagales, and pinales.

Family

The next level in the classification of living organisms is categorized much like the group of people that we call family. We are all different, but we share enough similarities that we belong in the same family; the same applies to all living things.

Genus

The genus is the first part of a living thing’s scientific name, also known as binomial nomenclature. Let’s look at lions and tigers, for example, the scientific name for a lion is Panthera leo, and the tiger is Panthera tigris; Panthera is the genus.

Species

The species is the final and most specific level of the classification system. The best way to describe a species is a group of organisms that are best suited for breeding healthy offspring, which can also continue to reproduce.

Some Examples of Classification

Classifying living things takes a lot of practice, and while it may take you a long time to familiarize yourself with the scientific names in a domain or phylum, it’s best to learn and memorize the levels of classification as soon as you can. Forgetting about the phylum or order can make the classification process even more difficult.

Many people use a mnemonic device to remember the order of the levels of taxonomy. Some people use “Dear King Phillip Came Over For Good Soup,” but you can come up with whatever and works best for you.

Let’s take a look at a few in-depth examples. We’ll start out by classifying humans.

Classification of Humans

The Domain is Eukarya because we have a nucleus and organelles. The Kingdom is Animalia because we ingest food, are multicellular, and have no cell walls. The Phylum is Chordata because we have spinal cords (our subphylum is vertebrata because we have a segmented backbone).

The Class is Mammalia because we nurse our offspring and the Order is Primates due to our higher level of intelligence. The Family is Hominidae because we are bipedal (walk upright). The Genus is Homo for Human, and the Species is H. sapiens, which means modern human.

The result is Homo Sapiens, which as we all know translates to today’s human beings.

Classification of a Fruit Fly

Everyone will agree that fruit flies can be a nuisance, but they can be a fascinating organism to study. Here’s how we can classify a fruit fly.

The Domain is Eukarya because it has a nucleus and organelles. The Kingdom is Animalia because it ingests food, is multicellular, and has no cell wall. The Phylum is Arthropoda due to the hard exoskeleton, paired legs, and a segmented body. The Class is Insecta because it is terrestrial, has six legs, and antennae. The Order is Diptera due to having two-wings.

The Family is Drosophilidae, the Genus is Drosophila, Species is D. melanogaster; also known as the common fruit fly. As you looked at the different levels of classification, can you see where we’re related to the annoying and small insect?

Classification of a Maple Tree

We can get syrup from a maple tree, and it has stunning foliage in the fall, but you probably haven’t thought much beyond that. Here’s the classification of a red maple tree.

The Domain is Eukarya because it has a nucleus and organelles and the Kingdom is Plantae since it makes its own food and has a multicellular cell wall. Immediately, we can see that a maple is nothing like a human.

The Phylum is Tracheophyta due to the tissue-level organization, and the Class is Angiospermae because it flowers. The Order is Sapindales because it produces sap and the Family is Aceraceae. The Genus is Acer, the Species is A. rubrum, and we end up with a red maple.

Classification of a Dandelion

People either love or hate dandelions but like other organisms, they are a living thing, and they have a complex level of classification. Let’s see if you can guess the Domain, Kingdom, and Phylum. Did you guess Eukarya, Plantae, and Angiosperms? Then, you’re right.

The Class is Magnoliopsida, the Order is Asterales, Family is Asteraceae, the Genus is Taraxacum, and the Species is T. officinale; your result is the dandelion.

The more time you spend classifying living things, the easier it becomes, and even in these quick examples, you probably started to see some similarities.

Works Cited Page Example for MLA, APA, Chicago, and More

Whether you’re writing a research paper for Biology class or putting together a presentation, it’s important to do your research and cite your sources. Never know which works cited style to use? Learn more about MLA, APA, Chicago, and other helpful hints.

Works Cited Page Example for MLA, APA, Chicago, and More

Research projects are a lot of work, but it’s worth all the hard work when your instructor gives you rave reviews, and you’ve earned top marks. You’re able to be successful on your research paper or presentation because you spent time reading dozens of articles and journals written by scholars and scientist.

Since they spent years of research to provide you with essential information, it only seems fair to give them credit, right? Citing your sources properly might be a little confusing, but we’ll discuss some of the different citation styles, share a works cited page example for each style, and give you all the information you need to give proper credit where it’s due.

Why Citing Is Important

Few people will argue with the fact that citing your sources is important, but you might be curious if it’s truly necessary. The answer is yes, and there are a few reasons why it’s so crucial. Not only does it give researchers, scholars, and other writers appropriate credit, but citing is a “must” for the following reasons:

Avoiding confusion or “alternative facts”
You won’t be accused of plagiarism
It shows your professors, classmates, and readers that you know how to conduct research
You learn more as a researcher
You become a better writer
It shows that you’re respectful and responsible

What To Cite and What Not To Cite

Depending on the citation style you use, there may be come different rules but if you’re wondering what should be cited in your work and what’s not necessary, here are some general rules.

DO Cite

Books and journal articles
Newspaper, magazines, brochures, and pamphlets
Film, television, ads
Websites and other electronic resources
Letter, email, forums
Personal interviews
Diagrams, charts, photos, and other graphics

You Shouldn’t Need To Cite (But Double-Check)

Your own collected data in a field study
Your notes
Your own journaling
Your opinions
When you use “common knowledge”
Well-known facts

An In-Depth Look At Citation Styles

Now that we’ve briefly discussed the importance of citing sources and the do’s and don’t, let’s take an in-depth look at some of the most common citation styles you may use throughout your academic career.

While you already know what a citation is, you may not understand what a citation style is or how one works. Citation style is the rules for formatting, how the information you cite in an article or project is ordered, and how to punctuate; each style has specific rules for citing information.

If you’re unsure of what type of citation style you should use, always ask your professor. It’s best to double-check rather than assuming. Citing information incorrectly can take up a lot of your valuable time, and it can also negatively affect your grade.

APA

APA is also known as the American Psychological Association, and this style is frequently used in the social sciences. Some general highlights of this style include an essay with a title page, abstract, main body, and references.

It should also be typed and double-spaced on standard 8.5 x 11” paper (with 1” margins on all sides). The recommended font is 12 pt. Times New Roman and page headers are a must.

When you create your works cited page, you should have References centered at the top, double-space the list, and the first line of your citation should be indented one half-inch from the left margin. The list should also be alphabetized. For more information on APA style and a works cited page example, click here.

MLA

MLA, also known as Modern Language Association, is a citation style commonly used by the Humanities. There are many similarities between APA and MLA, but rather than References and the end of your essay; you should have the words “Works Cited.”

A works cited page example will show you that you should have an alphabetized list and the second line of the citation should be indented.

Chicago

The Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) is a citation style that is used in the social sciences and the humanities. Rather than a works cited page, a note and bibliography or author-date is needed at the end of the paper. Notes and bibliography are often requested for arts, literature, and history while author-date style is better suited for science and social sciences..

As you explore CMS, you may also come across the Turabian Style, which is a variation of CMS and may be used in social or natural sciences and in the humanities.

Now that we’ve given you some of the most commonly used citation styles, let’s take a look at some other styles that you might be asked to use at some point in your academic or professional career.

If you continue to study the sciences, you may be asked to use the following citation styles:

American Chemical Society (ACS) for Chemistry
American Institute of Physics (AIP) for Physics
American Medical Association (AMA) for Medical Sciences
American Mathematical Society (AMS) for Mathematics
Council of Science Editors (CSE) for Biology
National Library of Medicine (NLM) for Medicine

If you study the social sciences or law, you may be asked to use the following styles:

Association of Legal Writing Directors (ALWD) for Legal Studies
American Political Science Association (APSA) for Political Science and International Studies
American Sociological Association (ASA) for Sociology
Bluebook for Legal Studies
Maroonbook for Legal Studies

Other citation styles include Harvard Business School, Associated Press (AP), and Linguistic Society of America (LSA).

Finding Citation Style Resources

It would take a long time to explain each citation style in detail; thankfully, there are several resources available (and a majority of them are online). Depending on your coursework, you may have instructors that require you to purchase a citation style manual.

Even if it’s not a course requirement, it’s great to have on hand, and you may be surprised how often you use the manual. Although many people shy away from hard copy resources and would instead use the convenience of the internet, owning an official citation style guide may be more accurate and easier to use than finding all the information you need online.

While there are plenty of online resources that are legitimate, convenient, and helpful, don’t be afraid to utilize a writing or academic center if one is available; the people who work in these centers are knowledgeable in all citation styles and can help you make sure that you know which style to use.

If you don’t have a center nearby, head to your public library; a librarian should be able to assist you.

A writing or academic center can also be a great resource if you need someone to proofread an essay before you submit it to your professor. If you have any doubts about how your project or paper is formatted, you should get the feedback you need.

What About Citation Software?

Making sure you cite your sources correctly is definitely important and some people will go so far as to use citation software. Citation management software is also known as bibliographic software, and it helps you organize, store, and retrieve information from the sources you use (like books, articles, journals, online resources, and websites).

Depending on the software you use, you might be able to import records or PDFs from databases and add abstracts and keywords to your paper or project. Once you’re ready to cite your sources, the software helps you create a bibliography.

While citation software can be a helpful tool, it should not be your “go to” solution for the proper citing of sources. The software is not flawless, and you still need to know the basic guidelines of the citation style that you’re using (such as MLA or APA).

Another option to try, when you need a little extra help with citing your sources, is an online citation builder. These are often free and can help you do citations quickly. Builders do not work the same as software.

Some Final Words On Citation Styles

As you can see, there are many different citation styles to choose from, and while some are specific, you might have a few style options (depending on your paper or project). If you’re unsure of what style to use, always ask.

If you use a couple of different citation styles on a regular basis, it’s a wise investment to purchase a hard-copy of the style guide; these are relatively inexpensive and easy to find. If you’re buying a used copy of a style guide, make sure that it has all the up-to-date information and if not, be sure to gather the right info to make it a current guide.

Citations are important, and while it may feel like an overwhelming part of writing a paper, it can be easy as long as you know the basics of the citation style and how to create the appropriate works cited page.