Ch 4: Microbiology Laboratory Techniques: Tutoring Solution
About This Chapter
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- Begin your assignment or other microbiology work.
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- Struggle with understanding stains, bacteria growth, serial dilution or any other microbiology laboratory technique topic
- Have limited time for studying
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- Prefer learning biology visually
- Find themselves failing or close to failing their microbiology laboratory techniques unit
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Learning Objectives
- Explain the difference between simple and differential stains.
- Discuss the applications of the Gram stain.
- Describe the process of growing bacteria in a lab.
- Learn the phases of bacterial growth.
- Explain how serial dilutions are used in microbiology.
- Discuss the use of selective and differential media in microbiology.

1. Simple and Differential Stains: Definition and Examples
Observing tiny bacteria under the microscope is not as easy as it sounds. In this lesson, we will examine several staining techniques used to color bacteria, enhancing their visibility.

2. The Gram Stain: Background and Example Organisms
Every microbiology student should be familiar with the Gram stain. In this first of two lessons on this technique, we will look at some of the background information before describing and viewing some relevant example organisms.

3. The Gram Stain: Theory and Procedure
In this lesson, we will focus on the individual steps of the Gram stain procedure. In this second of two lessons on the Gram stain, we will examine the theory and procedure behind how each step contributes to the process as a whole.

4. Growing Bacteria in a Lab: Experiments & Conditions
Despite the fact that bacteria are growing all around you, they can be surprisingly difficult to grow in a lab. This lesson will explore some of the basics involved in culturing bacteria for experimentation.

5. What Is Bacterial Growth & Generation Time? - Curves, Phases & Stages
Bacteria are able to reproduce at an incredibly rapid pace. In this lesson, we will examine the different phases of bacterial growth and how to calculate population numbers based on generation times and culture size.

6. Serial Dilution in Microbiology: Calculation, Method & Technique
Working with billions of tiny cells can pose a problem when you need to count the total number of cells in a sample. Fortunately, through precise serial dilution of a sample, it is possible to get down to a number that is much easier to work with.

7. Differential & Selective Media in Microbiology
Every microbiologist eventually has to grow cultures of bacteria for their experiments. In this lesson, we will investigate selective and differential media, two techniques to make culturing bacterial species a little more efficient.

8. Magnification: Definition, Formula, Calculation & Examples
In this lesson, we'll explore what magnification means as well as some of the many tools that enable you to magnify small objects. We'll also consider how to calculate the total magnification of an object and how its magnified size relates to its actual size.
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Other Chapters
Other chapters within the Microbiology: Tutoring Solution course
- Biology Review for Microbiology: Tutoring Solution
- Microbiology Basics: Tutoring Solution
- Bacterial Biology: Tutoring Solution
- Microorganisms and the Environment: Tutoring Solution
- The Disease Process: Tutoring Solution
- Introduction to Viruses in Microbiology: Tutoring Solution
- DNA Viruses: Tutoring Solution
- RNA Viruses: Tutoring Solution
- Protozoan Diseases: Tutoring Solution
- Fungal Infections: Tutoring Solution
- Foodborne Illnesses & Bacterial Infections: Tutoring Solution
- Sexually Transmitted Bacterial Diseases: Tutoring Solution
- Bloodborne Bacterial Diseases: Tutoring Solution
- Bacterial Diseases of the Respiratory Tract: Tutoring Solution
- Bacterial Skin and Wound Infections: Tutoring Solution
- Immunology And the Body's Defenses Against Pathogens: Tutoring Solution
- Antimicrobial Drugs: Tutoring Solution
- Food and Industrial Microbiology: Tutoring Solution
- Sterilization and Antiseptic Techniques: Tutoring Solution