Project Information
Many students think of the scientific method as a step-by-step process that all scientists follow in order. But real research is rarely so neat and tidy…it is really more of a research cycle or spiral because things you learn in one step can change your ideas about what you’ve already done or about next steps.
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Title | Wise Weed Whackers |
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Alias | dmsstiemspring2021project1 |
Access | public [View public profile] |
Created | 15 Feb 2021 |
Owner | DMS Stiem Spring 2021 |
Explore | Germination is the process in which a plant grows, roots, and sprouts. Germination starts with imbibition, it occurs when a dry seed absorbs water and begins to swell. Water softens the outer layer of seed. Then it uses its stored food supply to fuel the beginning of growth. The root sprouts downward because of gravity. Then using photosynthesis and cellular respiration, it creates the resources and uses them to grow. |
Research Question | How does the amount of sugar in the water affect the rate of germination? |
Predictions | If the amount of granulated sugar in the water increases, then the rate of germination will take longer. We think this because it will take longer and more effort for the plant to break the extra sugar down. |
Experimental Design | Using the buckwheat seed, we will put 10 seeds in separate trays. Fill one tray with water and, then the next with water and 1/2 teaspoon of sugar. Lastly, we will put 1 teaspoon of sugar in another tray. We will label the seeds in the tray. After 1 week we will measure the growth of each seed in cenimeters and record it. Then, we will compare each of the seeds and the different amounts of sugar. |
Conclusion | Claim: The seeds with no sugar in their water germinated faster than the seeds with sugar in their water. Evidence: In our experiment the seeds growth average with 0 tsp of sugar in their water was 6.324 cm. The seeds growth average with ½ tsp of sugar in their water was 0 cm. The seeds growth average with 1 tsp of sugar in their water was also 0 cm. The seeds with sugar in their water did not germinate at all but the seeds without sugar in their water germinated on the first day, started growing roots on the second day, grew stems on the third day, looked about ready to shed their seed coats on the fourth day, and then shed their seed coats on the fifth day. The seeds with no sugar in their water germinated faster and their average growth was 6.324 cm more than the seeds with sugar in their water. Reasoning: I did not expect these results. In the article I read about sugar water and plants it said that if you put a little bit of sugar in your plants water it says plants grow better and will be healthier. We got opposite results. Our seeds didn't germinate at all! These results might have happened because our seeds were not germinated yet. When plants are younger they may not have developed as effective sugar storing and producing capabilities as older plants and since our seeds had not even germinated yet they probably didn't even have those sugar storing and producing capabilities. Another reason these results might have happened is because seeds need three things to germinate: Correct temperature, the right location, and water. Since there was sugar in the water we used to water the seeds with it ruined the “water” part of the three things seeds needed to germinate so the seeds didn’t germinate. My final reason why these results might have happened is because we might have used too much sugar. Only a small amount of sugar makes the plants grow better and healthier and ½ tsp - 1 tsp was probably too much sugar. The seeds were starting to mold and the paper towel was turing slimy and green which was likely why the seeds didn’t germinate. I think this was a fair test because there was multiple days of research on the seed germination, we did a lot of research before this experiment, and we were very careful when measuring the amount of sugar and water. There was also three people working to make sure the experiment was going in the right direction and we had a mentor asking us questions and helping us when we were stuck. We also took careful data about our findings during the experiment and we took many pictures that we could refer back to. |
Investigation Theme | WOS |
Teacher Name | Kristen Stiem |
School Name | DeWitt Middle School |
Session | Spring 2021 |
About this Project | The team had great communication with the scientist mentor, being also able to produce nice graphs to show their experimental outcomes, as well as to explore possible reasons that might be behind their observations. |