Max Wants to Start a Farm to Grow Mussels

question 54

Essay

Max wants to start a farm to grow mussels. He needs to determine the best environment for growing them. He is going to try two different amounts of salt in the water (salinity) and three different water temperatures. For his experiment he has
18 aquariums, each with 20 mussels. He wants to see which environment produces the largest mussels.
-Someone suggested that Max arrange the tanks so that six with the lowest temperature are on one end of the room, and the six with the highest temperature are at the other end of the room. Explain how this could introduce confounding into the experiment.

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Definitions:

Anorectal Junction

The area where the anal canal meets the rectum, important in the study of gastrointestinal function and disorders.

Rectum

The final section of the large intestine, terminating at the anus, where feces are stored before being expelled.

Anal Canal

The final segment of the digestive tract through which feces are excreted from the body.

Fecal Incontinence

The inability to control bowel movements, causing unintended leakage of stool from the rectum.