| Explore | What do we know about plants from our experiences outside of school? Plants are found everywhere: in our gardens, in our homes, and in our food. Plants provide us with oxygen and we provide them with carbon dioxide. Plants are the primary producers in many food chains. We rely on plants for food as well as building material, cloth, and more. There are many unique species of plants, each with their own nutrients and reproduction phases. What have we discovered in class and background research? In class, we have learned about how different farming techniques can remove nutrients from the soil, making it less fertile. We also learned about plant reproduction, which can be sexual or asexual. In addition, we read about how genetic engineering can be utilized to change the phenotype expressed by a plant, such as to make a plant more resistant to a bug. We also learned about plant propagation techniques. We learned that some genetically modified plants are more successful than others, while some are failures completely. What questions about plants interest us? -How did plants develop the ability to photosynthesize? -What do different plant tissues look like at the cellular level? -How can genetic engineering be used to add nutrients to plants that we consume? -How long is the process for developing genetically modified plants? -How do plants adapt to changing environments (i.e. climate change, drought, floods)? |
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| Research Question | How does pH affect the time it takes for seeds to sprout? We want to test how quickly seeds sprout when they have access to liquids at different pHs. We came up with the question based on the materials we had access to and interest in water and soil. In addition, the question fits into what we previously learned about the topic in terms of soil health and how soil affects the crops that are grown on it. |
| Predictions | The higher or lower the pH of soil is from a pH of 7, the more time that radish seeds will take to sprout. Since an optimal pH for sprouting seeds is 7, variations from that pH of soil will not produce results as quick as it would have at an optimal pH. |
| Experimental Design | There will be a control plant with only water, a plant with lemon juice, and water will be added to lemon juice in order to make 4 total different pH levels. The water will be added to the control plant, while two or more other plants will have different concentrations of lemon juice added. The independent variable is the pH of lemon water solution used to water the plants, while the dependent variable is the average amount of time in days that the seeds take to sprout. Constant variables will include sunlight, room conditions, amount of liquid added, and nutrition content. We will record by noting the time that the liquid was added, and noting the amount of time that passes until the seeds start to sprout. |
| Investigation Theme | AFW |
| Grade Level | High School Students (Grades 9,10,11,12) |
| School Name | California Academy of Mathematics and Science |
| Session | Fall 2020 |