What is a sediment in a laboratory context?

In a laboratory context, sediment refers to particles that have settled and are concentrated at the bottom of a tube or container. This occurs when a solution is allowed to stand undisturbed, causing the heavier solid particles to gravitate downward due to gravity. This phenomenon is commonly observed in various types of laboratory analyses, such as centrifugation, where components of a mixture are separated based on their densities.

Understanding sediment is particularly important in fields such as hematology and microbiology, where the presence of sediment can indicate various conditions or the effectiveness of certain treatments. The formation of sediment often provides critical information about the sample being tested and can influence interpretative results in clinical assessments.