Results:
The data gathered displays that there were 51 colonies in quadrant A (the handle of the paper dispenser in the women’s bathroom), most were circular in shape, white in color, and smooth over all. There were 87 colonies in quadrant B (the spatula used in the sandwich bar), most being circular, white, and smooth. There were 13 colonies in quadrant C (the outer handle of the front entrance to the school); they were mostly circular, beige and shiny. Lastly, there were 55 colonies in quadrant D (the microphone part of the podium); they were mostly circular and white, all being either shiny or smooth.
Discussion:
The findings of the experiment reject my initial hypothesis that the most frequented location (the handle of the front door …show more content…
However, they may just have not gotten to clean the spatulas from lunch the day before since it was still very early. Also, the spatula that I chose was put in the same bin that the new meat was laid out in, so I assume that a good amount of the micro organisms from the meat bin could have been on the spatula and therefore picked up with the swab. I was expecting the microphone to have quite a bit of micro organisms on it, however, due to the fact that it usually might not get cleaned as often, and because while people talk into it they tend to spit a lot and sweat when the grip the microphone holder, further spreading countless microorganisms in their mouth and on their body to the holder. The next quadrant, quadrant C, had fewer colonies than quadrants B and D, and for good reason. After the women in the bathroom use the toilet, they wash their hands before going to get paper from the dispenser, and holding the handle. Therefore, it is expected that the soap killed many of the microorganisms before they could get to the paper dispenser. Finally, quadrant A had the least amount of colonies, although the colonies were very large in size and spread out.
The possible sources of error in this experiment could have been too much exposure of the growth medium (agar)
The data gathered displays that there were 51 colonies in quadrant A (the handle of the paper dispenser in the women’s bathroom), most were circular in shape, white in color, and smooth over all. There were 87 colonies in quadrant B (the spatula used in the sandwich bar), most being circular, white, and smooth. There were 13 colonies in quadrant C (the outer handle of the front entrance to the school); they were mostly circular, beige and shiny. Lastly, there were 55 colonies in quadrant D (the microphone part of the podium); they were mostly circular and white, all being either shiny or smooth.
Discussion:
The findings of the experiment reject my initial hypothesis that the most frequented location (the handle of the front door …show more content…
However, they may just have not gotten to clean the spatulas from lunch the day before since it was still very early. Also, the spatula that I chose was put in the same bin that the new meat was laid out in, so I assume that a good amount of the micro organisms from the meat bin could have been on the spatula and therefore picked up with the swab. I was expecting the microphone to have quite a bit of micro organisms on it, however, due to the fact that it usually might not get cleaned as often, and because while people talk into it they tend to spit a lot and sweat when the grip the microphone holder, further spreading countless microorganisms in their mouth and on their body to the holder. The next quadrant, quadrant C, had fewer colonies than quadrants B and D, and for good reason. After the women in the bathroom use the toilet, they wash their hands before going to get paper from the dispenser, and holding the handle. Therefore, it is expected that the soap killed many of the microorganisms before they could get to the paper dispenser. Finally, quadrant A had the least amount of colonies, although the colonies were very large in size and spread out.
The possible sources of error in this experiment could have been too much exposure of the growth medium (agar)