LabWork

Bacterial Growth Curve

Bacteria grow FAST! In ideal circumstances, some common bacterial cells can divide and double every 20 minutes. In the following experiment, you are going to use different methods for counting bacteria - LOTS of bacteria! Microbiologists use many different ways to "count" bacteria. Some are direct methods, such as counting cells under a microscope ("total count"). Others are indirect methods, e.g. electrical resistance, ATP production).

In this experiment, you will:

1. Use a direct method to count the number of cells in a culture of bacteria (viable count).

2. Use an indirect method to count the number of cells in a culture of bacteria (optical density).

3. Determine the rules which control bacterial growth: the growth rate constant and the mean generation (doubling) time.

Start the experiment