A student performed the following steps in an investigation:

1. Add a few drops of red food coloring to 50 mL of water in a beaker.

2. Stir the contents of the beaker using a glass stir rod.

3. Add 20 mL of yellow vegetable oil.

4. Stir the contents of the beaker using a glass stir rod.

5. Leave the beaker undisturbed for 24 hours.

Which of the following statements about the investigation is most accurate?