Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

I need help! I need it quick, I need to know if using agar is the same thing as using agarose for the experiment of the gel electrophoresis.
Please HELP ASAP!!!

Could someone possibly help me? I am clueless and Im running out of time, please, please!

Hello fabulousquantumpeewee,

You have posted in the middle of the holidays, so you will need to find some patience while Experts may be visiting their families.

The short answer to your question is no; agar and agarose are not the same thing. Agar is a medium for growing bacteria (https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... Agar.shtml), whereas agarose is a medium for running gel electrophoresis.

Are you doing this Science Buddies project on gel electrophoresis? https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... p039.shtml
In the Materials section, it suggests that you order a gel electrophoresis kit from Bio-Rad.

With your short time frame, you may want to consider another project if you are not able to get your gel electrophoresis kit in time. You can use the Topic Selection Wizard (https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... gister.php) to find a project that interests you and that will fit in your time frame.

Best,
Heather

Hello fabulousquantumpeewee,

We appreciate your patience with the Science Buddies volunteer program. Your question was posted in another forum, which I responded to your question a few days ago. I see now, that you are doing this project and not the one in which you posted under. For the future, please post all your questions using this thread so that we can help you in the best way. Thanks!

But, how is your project going? Heather had some helpful suggestions, did you come up with another project? What specifically is the project you are doing because we can probably help you modify it given the short time frame? Please post here again if you need more help.

Happy New Year

Thanks Sarah! I managed to get the agarose and plan to do the experiment today I just need help making the problem statement, hypothesis, and independent, dependent, constants, and control variables.
I know it sounds like a lot but I'm pretty confused making the problem statement to match with the gel electrophoresis forensic science experiment, I need help making the problem statment into a "what is the effect of .. on .." and for the hypothesis I need to have the help of a format like this "if ... happens then ..." I really need help asap, thanks for everything!