Final answer:
The dilution factor of a solution when 0.1ml of a sample is added to 9.9ml of water is 1:100, which is calculated by dividing the total volume of the diluted solution (10ml) by the volume of the original sample (0.1ml).
Step-by-step explanation:
The dilution factor of a solution prepared by adding 0.1ml of a sample to 9.9ml of water is the total volume of the diluted solution divided by the volume of the original sample.
To calculate the dilution factor, we add the volume of the sample (0.1ml) to the volume of water (9.9ml), which equals 10ml as the total volume. The dilution factor is therefore 10ml divided by 0.1ml, which gives us a dilution factor of 1:100.
This is similar to the logarithmic dilution process where a 1ml sample is diluted in 9ml of diluent, creating a 1:10 dilution. If we then take 1ml from that dilution and add it to another 9ml of diluent, we would achieve a 1:100 dilution factor. By maintaining the sample to diluent ratio, we can calculate subsequent dilutions easily.