| Explore | Looking to see the effects that cleaning a tree has on it. Variables we are looking to measure would be general indicators of tree health, such as qualities of the leaves. We are also looking at the differences between Palm Trees and other types of trees due to Palm Trees being technically considered a type of grass. |
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| Research Question | Cleaning trees may be a good way to rid the tree of harmful fungi and moss, so why aren't we cleaning trees already? This curiosity is what brought us to our research question: How do different methods of cleaning effect the health of a tree? (Soap vs. just water and/or sponge vs. wash cloth) |
| Predictions | We predict that by cleaning our trees, the tree will look more aesthetically pleasing and be more healthy. We shall measure the success of this by examining the quantity of leaves and how green these leaves are. The clearest outcome we believe will occur will be that the clean tree will most likely be more healthy, having a higher quantitiy of healthy, green leaves. Our reasoning for this is that the clean tree will have less outside variables to deal with, such as moss and dirt, allowing it to be healthier and have more access to it's resources.. |
| Experimental Design | We will be utilizing water, dawn soap, and sponges to test our hypothesis that if we wash trees, they will both appear and be healthier. The independent variable will be whether or not the trees are washed with or without soap. Our control group will be a tree that remains unwashed so we have something to compare our results to. Our dependent variable would be the color and quantity of the leaves on the tree. These dependent variables will be what we are measuring to confirm or deny our hypothesis. Our data will be recorded through comparison photos of the color and quantity of the leaves for each tree. 1. The first initial step of this experiment is finding three separate trees. 2. From there, the experimenter must choose which tree will be the control, which tree shall be washed with just water, and which tree will be washed with both soap and water. 3. These trees will be washed every two days for 10 minutes over the course of two weeks. 4. Comparison photos of the trees are to be taken on the same days the trees are washed. 5. These photos will be used to show the results of our experiments, as we can compare them to see whether or not our washing affected the overall health of the tree through the color and quantity of the leaves. |
| Investigation Theme | TREE |
| Grade Level | High School Students (Grades 9,10,11,12) |
| Teacher Name | Crystal Davis |
| School Name | California Academy of Mathematics and Science |
| Session | Spring 2021 |