In automation, what does discrete mean?

• A. Separate cuvets for each sample/reagents
• B. Shared cuvettes for multiple samples
• C. One cuvet for all samples
• D. Random access testing

Answer: (A)

Discrete means handling each sample as its own isolated unit, with its own cuvette and usually its own set of reagents. This separation prevents carryover between samples, allows independent timing and measurement, and supports running samples in any order. That’s why using separate cuvettes for each sample and its reagents best describes discrete.

Sharing cuvettes would imply a batch approach with potential cross-contamination; using one cuvette for all samples isn’t practical; random access testing refers to the ability to test samples in any order, not to how cuvettes are allocated.