Question About Growing Bacteria?

[bbkevin817]

Hi, I'm doing a science fair project and it involves growing bacteria (E. coli) and determining the effectiveness of garlic in fighting bacteria. The link is here: http://www.all-science-fair-projects.com/project1098_39_2.html

 

I have a couple questions about this project...

1) How long would it take me to grow the E. coli without an incubator? I have an empty oven that (I think) maintains a constant temperature, and I have a heating pad; would I be able to use any of those as an "incubator?"

2) Why is it necessary to add the E. coli specimen to milk before putting it on the agar petri dish?

 

Also, this is irrelevant, but in case the topic above does not work out, I might do a project requiring ampicillin. If I end up doing that project, how will I acquire the ampicillin? Isn't a prescription from a doctor required for apicillin?

 

Thanks.

[joekgamer]

For the second part of question 1: Unless the oven/heating pad maintains conditions other than temperature (i.e. humidity), then it will not work as an incubator.

 

In the last question, did you mean penicillin? If so, then while it is used in medicine, it is (to the best of my knowledge) not used by itself.