Lab Report

ST Report

In the experiment, the problem was the contaminants that were affecting the quality of the water samples. To fix this issue, three scientists had to determine the contaminants that were present in the samples. One sample was from the school sink and the second sample was from an unknown source. The scientists conducted many tests to figure out what pollutants were present in the water. In the experiment they used probes to test for pH, dissolved oxygen, total dissolved solids, conductivity, and turbidity. The probes hook up to the computer and collected the averages for each test. They collected this data and used it for later evaluation of the contaminates. They also tested for iron, copper, and chlorine with different tablets.

For the first sample from the sink there was high turbidity so that means there are dissolved or suspended particles like clay or algae in the water. This sample also had high conductivity so there was a high number of ions in the water. This can be caused by too many electrolytes dissolving in the water source. The sink water also had a low chlorine level. This can be caused by the chlorine reacting with other metals, organic and inorganic materials, or other compounds in the water before it is disinfected. In the unknown water sample it had high chlorine as well so the chlorine must have reacted with other substances in the water just like the first sample. This water also had high turbidity just like the sink water. The last irregular component of the unknown water sample was high iron levels. This can be from the corrosion of iron pipes

All of their data was combined and compared to the water quality standards. The maximum range for turbidity was around 0.18- 0.33, while the turbidity for the groups sample and unknown water sample was around 30- 60 ppm. The part F of the lab was a huge discrepancy. The Cu (copper) test was also a huge difference to the given chart. While the conductors of this procedure and the other scientists samples were around 0.1 or 0.2 ppm, the chart showed that the test was actually around 50 ppm . Also for the chloride test, around 30 and 140 ppm . Dissolved oxygen was around 330 ppm. The conductivity was accurate for all of the groups because it matched the given chart. Multiple errors could have occured to alter the performance of this lab. For example, the scientist used the conductivity sensor incorrectly, therefore the conductivity results for the known and unknown were incorrect. They also incorrectly tested the pH, so the results for the known and unknown sample were also incorrect. With this information in mind, it is critical to know what the sensors are for and how they work so your results are more likely to be accurate. These errors provide the wrong data, so overall the entire conclusion and analysis would be incorrect because of the incorrect use of tools during testing.For this reason, the scientists used the average data from the other scientists to ensure correct