science

Plating efficiency

Plating efficiency is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Plating efficiency rather than just read about it. In short: Plating efficiency ("PE") is a measure of the number of colonies originating from single cells. It is a very sensitive test and is often used for determining the nutritional requirements of cells, testing serum lots, measuring the effects of growth factors, and for toxicity testing.

Key takeaways

Plating efficiency belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Plating efficiency to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Plating efficiency from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Plating efficiency ("PE") is a measure of the number of colonies originating from single cells. It is a very sensitive test and is often used for determining the nutritional requirements of cells, testing serum lots, measuring the effects of growth factors, and for toxicity testing. Plating Efficiency is the number of cells that grow into colonies per 100 cells inoculated. That is, it is the proportion of cells that attach and grow to the number of cells originally plated, expressed as a percentage. PE can be determined by the following formulae:

P E = # cells on day 1 # cells plated on day 0 × 100 {\displaystyle \mathrm {PE} ={\frac {\#\,{\text{cells on day 1}}}{\#\,{\text{cells plated on day 0}}}}\times 100}

P E = # colonies counted # cells inoculated × 100 {\displaystyle \mathrm {PE} ={\frac {\#\,{\text{colonies counted}}}{\#\,{\text{cells inoculated}}}}\times 100}

The first method is more accurate. Cell growth in culture generally undergoes a decline after plating, and graphically, PE is the global minimum (lowest point) of the growth curve at day one, after which growth rises again. The decrease in viable cells after plating is due to "anchorage-dependence"--cells must attach to the bottom of the culture dish. Plating Efficiency is one of the parameters typically used to define growth properties of cells in culture. Other common parameters are doubling time ("DT") (which is an average of generation time ("GT")), and saturation density ("SD").

References Mather, J.P., and P.E. Roberts, 1998. Introduction to Cell and Tissue Culture: Theory and Technique. Plenum Press. New York City and London.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Plating efficiency

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Plating efficiency claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Plating efficiency before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Plating efficiency ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Plating efficiency

In research: Plating efficiency appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Plating efficiency in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Plating efficiency is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Plant reproduction, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Plating efficiency outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Plating efficiency in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Plating efficiency means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Plating efficiency out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Plating efficiency in simple terms?

Why does Plating efficiency matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Plating efficiency?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Plating efficiency.