Abstract

The purpose of the Toothpick-ase lab was to understand

how enzymes function using a simulation.
Enzymes are a form of protein that regulates biochemical
processes. Enzymes are created based on the recipes coded in
DNA. Without enzymes, life would not be possible. Enzymes are
used to regulate hair color, break down food, constructing,
synthesizing, carrying, dispensing, delivering, and eliminating the
many ingredients and chemicals the body uses in its daily
business of living.
In the lab the class was broken up into groups where the
students would take a bowl filled paperclips and unbroken
toothpicks and take turns trying to break as many of the
toothpicks possible in 20 seconds without looking, adding 10
more toothpicks than the last each time. Then one student from
each group would set their hands in a bucket of ice cold water for
10 minutes then try again to break toothpicks like before. Except
this time the students hand is numb and it wont be as easy to
identify the toothpicks from the paperclips. The students tend to
break more toothpicks when there are more in the bowl and the
student broke fewer toothpicks when the toothpickase was numb
and frozen.
The group concluded that with more substrates (toothpicks)
the enzymes (fingers) could create more substrates (break more
enzymes). Also when the enzyme (the students hand) was cold,
it created fewer products (the student broke less toothpicks).
An error that could have occurred during the lab is if one
student in the group set the timer for longer than 20 seconds but
the group can simply start that round again. Also if the student
breaking the toothpicks were to look at the bowl while breaking
them. That can also be improved by starting that round from the
beginning.

Procedures
In the lab the class was broken up into groups where the
students would take a bowl filled paperclips and unbroken
toothpicks and take turns trying to break as many of the
toothpicks possible in 20 seconds without looking, adding 10
more toothpicks than the last each time. Then one student from
each group would set their hands in a bucket of ice cold water for
10 minutes then try again to break toothpicks like before. Except
this time the students hand is numb and it wont be as easy to
identify the toothpicks from the paperclips.

Results
With more toothpicks in the bowl the easier it was for the
students to break them without confusing them for
paperclips. When the students hand was frozen and numb
after having in sit in ice cold water for 10 minutes, it was a
lot harder to break more toothpicks in the same time that
was given.

Toothpick-ase: Introduction
to Enzymes

Alexandra Karykous
Kevin Porch, Justin Robinson, Nicholas Benitez- Gervolino
October 1st, 2014

E2
Biology