| Explore | I know that plants grow in the ground, and are typically green. I also know that plants use soil, water, and sunlight for nutrients. From class, I have learned about the process that plants go through. For example, plants continuously go through the processes of photosynthesis and cellular respiration. |
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| Research Question | Our question is "How does the temperature of water affect the growth of a mustard seed". We came up with this idea because it was a good testable question, and fit's our prior knowledge of plants. |
| Predictions | I think that the room temperature water will have the plant grow the largest. We think this because rain is unusually what helps a plant grow, and rain is normally an average temperature. |
| Experimental Design | First, we will take 3 petri dishes and place 5 mustard seeds in each dish that will have 45 degrees F in the coldest dish. The 2nd dish will be in 65 degrees F water while the last dish will be in 85 degrees F water. |
| Conclusion | According to our investigation, when we used the hot water, the average of all the plants was the tallest. When we used 85 degrees, hot water, the average height of all the plants was 12 cm, and when we had 45 degrees, cold water, the average height of all the plants was 10 cm. Our group thought that the 65 degrees, room temp water, would be the tallest, but the average height of all the plants was only 8 cm. Water has a large role on plants growth. Different plants have different water needs. The Mustard seed has an ideal water temperature of 55-65 degrees. The water temperature can vary but will not have the best results. Hot water can reduce the amount of growth by reducing the amount of oxygen it can take in. If the water temp is so high it can even melt parts of the plant. It can also slow or stop parts of the plant. Warm or hot water can also hurt or even stop the ability to absorb water and nutrients in the soil. Coldwater can slow or stop plant growth by shocking the plant's systems. extreme coldness can slow enzyme activity. overall extreme temperatures are not good for plants and you should stick to room temperature water. |
| Investigation Theme | WOS |
| Teacher Name | Kristen Stiem |
| School Name | DeWitt Middle School |
| Session | Spring 2022 |