Cottage Cheese Experiment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Cottage Cheese Experiment - Essay Example In the experiment, plate counts were used instead of direct microscopic counts or turbidity measurements because of the obvious advantages of the first method. Although plate counts can be tedious and time-consuming, this method is â€Å"relatively easy to perform† and it is â€Å"much more sensitive than turbidimetric measurement† (Brodhagen, 2007). This means that with plate counts, a relatively more accurate bacterial count can be obtained compared to obtaining turbidity measurements. The only disadvantages with plate counts, however, include the lengthy incubation period required for the colonies to grow and become visible, and the possibility of crowding of colonies which will most likely require serial dilution (Abedon, 2003). Nevertheless, these disadvantages do not compare to those of direct microscopic counts and turbidity measurements. In direct microscopic counts, the number of living cells cannot be distinguished from the dead cells, which may be included in the count (Brodhagen, 2007). In the same way, turbidity measurements may not fare well in the bacterial count as clumps of cottage cheese may not be distinguishable from the mass of cells that is expected to block of intercept light (Brodhagen, 2007). These two methods – direct microscopic count and turbidity measurement – are actually less time-consuming than plate counts, but the disadvantages simply outweigh this advantage. The goal of the cottage cheese experiment after all is accuracy and not speed. When it comes to the difference between the control cottage cheese and the experiment cottage cheese, the difference cannot be exactly determined due to insufficiency of data. Basically we need more information on the consistency or lumpiness of the cheeses, their gross appearance after the experiment and perhaps differences in texture, temperature and other aspects. The most obvious difference is that control cheese has no preservative added but experimental cheese has. It then follows that if this is the only difference between the two, then this is a fair test.   Besides, both cheeses have been subjected to the same variables – the same temperature and incubation period lengths, and assuming the same mode of preparation.

Economic of Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Economic of Industry - Essay Example This attracts new players to the field as there are no entry or exit barriers. When the number of players in the industry increases, the industry output increases. This reduces the profit margins of the firms. Will the entry of new players stop at this level No, the entry will not stop until the firms are able to make profits. But as the number of firms increases, the industry is squeezed of profits and the firms start making losses. When the firms start making losses, financially weak and the operationally inefficient leave the industry and that is also because there is no barrier to exit from the industry. The example of the competition in the Video rental market in United States shows how the lack of entry or exit barriers help shape the industry. In the early 1980s when the Video cassette recorder(VCR) and video cassette player (VCD) was available to the consumers it became a must in many of the households. Statistics show that in 1980 less than 1% of American households owned a VCR. But by 1990 over 70% of families owned one. This led to a huge increase in demand for video cassettes. So movie tapes rental business was a very popular ones. The initial players in the industry had huge profits upto five dollars a night and they were able to recover the cost of the tape after a few rentals. But there was no entry barrier in the industry. Looking at the huge demand and the enormous profit levels, many people started the same business. This lead to increase in competition. So between 1982 and 1987 the number of movie tape rental outlets increased by 400%. Gas stations and grocery stores also rented tapes. This led to a downward pressure on the price, so by 1990 the tape rental rates had fallen down to $ 1.50 per night. The profits had fallen down and this caused many firms to exit from the industry. Entry had ceased. The industry had attained its equilibrium in the long run. With the advent of more modern technologies the movie rental industry is going to shrink even more. Due the fact that the product is identical and the industry has no entry and exit barriers, the firms in this kind of industry are price takers. They have very little control over the price, the profits for the firms depends on