A group of students investigated the effect of pH on the activity of two different amylase enzymes: salivary amylase and fungal amylase.
They recorded the pH that produced the fastest rate of starch hydrolysis in each of five replicates. These results are shown in Table 1.
| Replicate | pH that produced the fastest reaction rate for Salivary amylase | pH that produced the fastest reaction rate for Fungal amylase |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7.0 | 5.0 |
| 2 | 7.0 | 5.5 |
| 3 | 4.0 | 5.5 |
| 4 | 7.0 | 6.0 |
| 5 | 7.5 | 5.5 |
| Mean | 6.5 | 5.5 |
| Mode | 7.0 | 5.5 |
| Median | 7.0 | 5.5 |
One of the students made the following statement:
'I think the mean is a more accurate measure of the optimum pH than the median or mode for the salivary amylase.'
Evaluate the student's statement using the data in Table 1.
The students wanted to know whether there was a significant difference between the rates of reaction of salivary amylase and fungal amylase at pH 6.0. They measured the rates in ten replicates for each enzyme.
Suggest the most appropriate statistical test for the students to use and explain why this test is appropriate.
