After conducting the fabric lab my partner and I found that there are distinct differences between synthetic and natural fibers. Natural fibers come from either plants or animals. For example wool comes sheep, and cotton is derived from cotton plants. Synthetic fibers are man made an include fabrics such as nylon and polyester. Natural fibers like that of wool and cotton have a very high filament number, one that is too high to count, while man-made fibers such as nylon and polyester have much lower filament number. When placed close to a flame both synthetic and natural fibers reacted differently to the heat. When synthetic fibers were placed within an inch to the flame, they began to melt rapidly giving off a unique scent. On the other hand natural fibers had to be in direct contact with the flame to react. When placed into the flame the fabrics either smoldered or burned. Wool in 
particular gave off a very unpleasant smell. The fabrics also reacted differently in the presence of water. Natural fabrics had a much higher water retention percentage ranging from 50%-60%. While synthetic fabrics had a much more insignificant water retention percentage of about 0%-33%. I learned from this lab not only the processes of examining fabrics under a microscope but also how different synthetic fabrics are from natural.