Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Hello! I was wondering if the elavation of a colony is raised if it is on top a lump of nutrient agar or is it still flat? and what is a margin for identifying bacteria? What should i keep in my logbook my project is what area has most bacteria? (like frige handel)

Hi,

No, a colony is not raised if it is flat except for the fact that it is growing on a lump of agar. 'Margin' means 'edge', so you should be looking at the very edges of your colonies.

Here is some information about what to write in your log book: http://sciencebuddies.com/science-fair- ... ment.shtml . However, what I would do is have a record of each plate, the date you looked at it, the number of colonies on the plate, notes about each colony (if you are looking at elevation and margin), and a description of what you are doing each day.

Hope this helps!