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An infectious disease lab has taken samples from several surfaces within surfaces within the office building the lab calculates the percentage of the surface area of the sample that is covered in bacteria and for the samples the percentage of the bacteria covering the surface was 0.13, 0.19, 0.22, and 0.25 which gives which gives the best estimate of the percentage of surfaces within the office building that are covered in bacteria 3.16 0.79 0.20 0.26

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To estimate the overall percentage of the surfaces covered in bacteria based on the samples provided (0.13, 0.19, 0.22, and 0.25), we can calculate the average (mean) of these percentages.

Here's how to do it:

  1. Add the percentages: \[ 0.13 + 0.19 + 0.22 + 0.25 = 0.79 \]

  2. Divide by the number of samples (4): \[ \text{Average} = \frac{0.79}{4} = 0.1975 \]

  3. Convert to percentage: \[ 0.1975 \times 100 = 19.75% \]

So, the average percentage of bacteria-covered surfaces based on the samples is approximately 19.75%.

Looking at the options provided:

  • 3.16
  • 0.79
  • 0.20
  • 0.26

The closest estimate to 0.1975 is 0.20. Thus, the best estimate of the percentage of surfaces within the office building that are covered in bacteria is 0.20.