In: Biology
Question: You perform a lab where you are instructed to observe the characteristics of a lipid molecule in oil and water and are told to conduct 3 trials each time for the lab. You noticed that you get the same observations for all 3 trials for the lab. Explain in detail why you were asked to complete 3 trials? Why were you not asked to complete 1 trial?
Lab trials are repeated three times as this ensures a 66% probability accuracy of the obtained results over performing the experiment ones. Multiple measurements or observations of a single experiment would increase the confidence levels of the result and aid in the elimination of manual and technical errors. Also 3 trials were asked to be performed in order to ensure that the protocol used results in reproducible outcomes. Another reason for repeated trials of the experiment is to use the obtained results to perform statistical analysis and determine parameters such as mean, standard deviation and variance which are then used to determine the significance of the data and to determine if the results are good enough to derive a logical conclusion.Also repetition ensures that the results obtained were not due to other ambient conditions such as temperature, pH etc. in the first trial and are genuinely results of the intended reactions.