| Explore | Seeds are alive in the packet. Seeds are planted in soil and watered to germinate. During germination, the seed coat falls off because the food in it is no longer needed. They need three things to germinate food, a good location, a good temperature, and water. As a seedling shoot hits sunlight it starts photosynthesis. Different kinds of seeds respond in different ways to a given environmental factor and can remain dormant for different periods. |
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| Research Question | How does the layers of paper towel affect the seeds growth? |
| Predictions | If you have fewer paper towels then, the seed will grow faster. We believe that this will happen because the plant will have more direct sunlight and more water to use. |
| Experimental Design | Independent Variable = How many sheets of paper towel there are in each set/bag. For example, in Set 1: 1 paper towel, Set 2: 2 paper towels, Set 3: 3 paper towels, Set 4: 4 paper towels. Dependent Variable = Growth of the root measured in millimeters. Variables to Control = The type of seed(buckwheat), type of paper towel, amount of water(10 mL), type of bag, the unit of measurement for measuring the root(mm), the unit of measurement for measuring water(mL), and the number of days we measure the growth. Materials: 4 bags, 10 pieces of paper towel, 40 buckwheat seeds, water added 10 mL at a time as needed for each bag, 1 beaker, 1 eye dropper, 1 ruler Wet each set of paper towel with 10 mL of water (Set 1: 1 paper towel, Set 2: 2 paper towels, Set 3: 3 paper towels, Set 4: 4 paper towels) Put 10 buckwheat seeds on the half of the top layer of the paper towel of each wet paper towel set Fold the paper towel or towels in half Slide each set of wet paper towels with 10 buckwheat seeds in them into 4 separate plastic bags. Have 1 bag per paper towel set Zip the bag |
| Conclusion | Claim: The layers of paper towel do not affect the seeds growth. Evidence: In my graph, it shows that at the end of the five day growth period the total length of the average roots was 52 mm for 1 paper towel, 117.8 mm for 2 paper towels, 72.4 mm for 3 paper towels, and 79.7 mm for 4 paper towels. There is a 65.8 mm difference between the longest seeds roots, 2 paper towels, and the shortest seeds roots, 1 paper towel. The graph shows that the seeds with 3 and 4 paper towels did relatively the same, 1 paper towel did the worst, and 2 paper towels did the best. The outcome of the graph shows no pattern if less or more paper towel will make a seed grow longer. Reasoning: This is because, there is pore space, spaces in between particles of soil that hold water and air for the seed/plant, in soil. Paper towel has similar properties and holds and soaks in water, like pore space, until the seeds need to use it. Since each bag of seeds had at least 1 layer paper towel to hold water there is no effect of the amount of layers of paper towel to a seed’s growth. Since our experiment was inconclusive our data challenges the prior knowledge/prediction we had. We thought that less paper towel would be better for a seed’s growth. I think this was a fair test as all seeds got the same treatment. |
| Investigation Theme | WOS |
| Teacher Name | Kristen Stiem |
| School Name | DeWitt Middle School |
| Session | Spring 2021 |