Explanation: E.coli moves itself from place to place by rotating its flagella, it uses counterclockwise motions or rotations of its flagella to propel itself forward and the organism appears to be swimming.
However, upon taking a tumble, E.coli seems unable to go anywhere but after reorienting itself as stated above, it swims or rotates away in a random direction. It has been observed that direction change or tumbling usually occurs when E.coli is moving away from food sources and these series of movements is in a bid to stay where food is abundant.