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 | 8th Grade Projects Team 1 |
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Alias | lsasgamspring2021project1 |
Access | public [View public profile] |
Created | 15 Feb 2021 |
Owner | LSAS Gam Spring 2021 |
Research Question | How will discrete and continuous phenotypic traits(Color, height, and Number of leaves) vary based on the differing fertilizer treatments? |
Predictions | We predict that the height and number of leaves(continuous traits) will vary depending on the amount of fertilizer. The plants should be taller and have more leaves if they have more fertilizer. We also are predicting that the color will stay the same despite the differing amount of fertilizer. The reason we think this is because since color is a discrete trait and thus will only be dependent on its genes and won’t be susceptible to change in the environment. Qualitative traits are dependent on a number of genes, and so they will change more based on the environment. |
Experimental Design | At least once a week we will measure the height, number of leaves, stem color, and the leaf color. Height will be measured in millimeters with a ruler, and will be measured from the very bottom to the very top. The number of leaves is simple because it can be counted. Stem color is either purple or green, and if there is any purple, it will be recorded as purple. Likewise, stem color is either yellow or green, and if there is any yellow, it will be counted as yellow. |
Conclusion | From the data we have collected, it seems that the plants with more fertilizer had more leaves than their lesser fertilized counterparts. the plants with more fertilizer also seem to have more yellow leaves. However, the plants with less fertilizer are, on average, taller than the others. the stem color was roughly the same for all. |
Investigation Theme | BRASSICA |
Teacher Name | Ashley Gam |
School Name | Loudoun School for Advanced Studies |
Session | Spring 2021 |
About this Project | Along with their class, the team not only collected data but also reported their results after statistical analysis. They did a great job of communicating their results and analysis both visually and verbally. Although the data may not have supported their hypotheses, they came up with sound reasoning as to why this might have been the case and presented ideas that could be used to improve their experimental design. |