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Conclusion Of A Lab

Essay by   •  May 10, 2011  •  640 Words (3 Pages)  •  1,177 Views

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According to the data, the capture-mark-recapture method is quite reliable, but some precautions must be made. For our first two samples, 20 beans were originally marked. With this information, and the ten trial data we collected, we were able to result in Ð'ÐŽÐ'®500Ð'ÐŽÐ'Ї in both. When we compare it to the actual total, [513 (Ð'ÐŽÐ'Ñ*5)], it is fairly accurate. However, throughout the experiment, the question was posed: Ð'ÐŽÐ'owould the data be more accurate if we went back and marked more individuals?Ð'ÐŽÐ'±. With this thought, assumed to be true, 15 more beans were marked, making a total of 35 marked beans within the same population used in samples 1 and 2. The results were not what was expected; for it was 438, further away from the real number, 513 (Ð'ÐŽÐ'Ñ*5). With this in mind, the fact that a reasonable number of individuals that are to be caught and marked should be determined with a good justification, for, as the data demonstrates, the number can dramatically affect the accuracy of the estimation. Although the logic that if more individuals were to be marked, the data would conclude to be most similar to the actual total seemed to be reasonable and applicable, the logic cannot hold true. Otherwise, this method is an effective and an easy way to estimate a mass population.

This lab was carried out by two scientists, working as partners. Especially with two people collaborating, there are numerous errors and weaknesses that can be found in the procedure. For example, while counting the total number manually, either one could have unintentionally counted wrong, dropped some and didnÐ'ÐŽÐ'Їt pick up the lost bean, or more. This way, the total number could be a fraud, thus, it is the reason why Ð'ÐŽÐ'Ñ*5 was added to the final number. Furthermore, throughout this simple experiment, there could be a variety of factors that could lead to a less accurate conclusion. One factor could be that when marking the beans with a permanent marker hastily, the marks could have been smudged and wiped off before it was able to dry. This is important because then, in the formula, Ð'ÐŽÐ'®sÐ'ÐŽÐ'Ї could be incorrect, for we could have picked a previously marked bean, with its marks effaced; this way, the number of total individuals recaptured may be inaccurate. Also, one important factor is,

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