How to Understand Serial Dilutions
- 1). Create an initial solution of a cupful of water and sugar or salt. The exact amounts are not important, but use a lot of sugar and salt to create a heavy concentration. You can also add food coloring to create a visual indicator of subsequent dilutions.
- 2). Take one ounce of your solution and mix it with nine ounces of water. The concentration is now one-tenth the original. Compare the taste of the original solution and your diluted solution and observe the difference in color.
- 3). Repeat this procedure as many times as you'd like. Each dilution will be one-tenth of the previous concentration. After six dilutions, your solution will have one-millionth the concentration of the original solution.