In order to test the belief that more frequently used area on a personal computer (abbreviated as PC) has more bacteria, the experimenters tested the amount of bacteria on different parts of a PC with respect to their frequency of use. If a part was used more often, then it would have more bacteria. To support the idea, the experimenters took samples of bacteria from the screen (group 1), the keyboard (group 2), the touchpad (group 3), the speaker (group 4), and the air (group 5, control group), respectively. The samples were put in 5 different petri dishes. Then, the petri dishes were placed in the same incubator. All other factors, such as the agar in the dishes, temperature, as well as sampling time, were kept constant. After two days, the result showed that the sample from the screen had more colonies than the samples took from either the keyboard or the touchpad, instead of the other way around. Therefore, the hypothesis was not supported. Overall, the experimenters learned the importance of listening to instructions throughout the entire lab. From the data collected, the experimenters discovered that screen was the most dangerous part of a PC when bacteria amount was concerned. In general, the experiment showed the importance of a routine cleaning of different parts of a PC, especially the screen. In addition, a keyboard cover would also lower the possibility for bacteria to survive. For one's the health and safety, one should always wash his/her hands after using a PC to prevent bacteria on the computer from getting on one's hands.
Introduction.
In this technology-driven world, PC is becoming one of people's best friends. Everyone does everything PC every day. In addition, nowadays many high schools and universities have public computers that students and faculty can access. However, are PCs clean enough? Will people get bacterial infection from a PC? Which part is the dirtiest? According to a study conducted by Selzuk Universities in Konya, Turkey, keyboards and mice of computers are being a source of potential cross contamination, both in a hospital and in a university setting ¹ (DoÄŸan, M.