| Explore | We have an abundance of background knowledge about plants like plants inhale carbon dioxide and exhale oxygen, they have a cell wall and chloroplasts unlike animal cells, they create glucose from the light energy, and plants need water to grow. Some questions that interest us are if you plant berries will they grow? Do plants' have nerves? Could we use plants for power? |
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| Research Question | What is a healthy PH range for a pea plant? |
| Predictions | If we add acid of a PH level of 2, then the plant will die the acid is detrimental to plant life. |
| Experimental Design | Research Question: What is a healthy PH range for a pea plant? Prediction: If we add acid of a PH level of 2, then the plant will die, because the acid is detrimental to plant life. Materials: 20 Peas 10 Flower Pots 1 bottle of lemon juice 1 teaspoon of Baking soda 4 pairs of Goggles 1 bottle of Vinegar Some potting soil 20 inches of water 5 Plastic cups Measuring spoons Measuring cup Ph testing sticks Hydrochloric acid Drain cleaner Safety: We will need goggles for eye protection from the acid. Procedure: In this test, we will be judging our data on color, texture, the height of our plants, and germination time. We will be trying to acheive a ph of 9,1 or 2, 8,and 3. Flower pot Fill 10 flower pots up to the brim with planting soil Insert 2 pea seed into each pot about 1 inch in the soil Put on one pair of goggles Mix 1 inch of water and roughly a cup of baking soda in a plastic cup Measure the ph level with the testing stick or strip if it does not measure a 8 adjust your level of baking soda depending on what it reads Water 2 plants with the baking soda water solution Mix a bottle of lemon juice with water in a plastic cup Measure the mixture with a ph testing strip if it does not measure to an 3 adjust Pour the lemon, water mixture to 2 seed Mix hydrochloric acid with water Measure the ph of the mixture, if it is not 1 then adjust your mixture. Feed 2 plants this solution Mix 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, baking soda, and vinegar in a plastic cup test the ph of the solution Water 2 plants with this mixture Mix 2 teaspoons of lemon juice and vinegar test the ph of the solution Water 2 plants with this mixture |
| Conclusion | I thought that if we watered our plants with a pH of 1 then they would die. I found that the pH of 10 actually died before the pH 1s so my hypothesis was partially supported. My data showed that the pH 7s (controls)was not as nourishes to the plants as pH 3 water was. This is shown in my graph. The pH 3 plants were at least .5 cm taller than the pH 7s (control). Another statement that can be made based on my data is that pH 1 gives the plant’s more nutrients than a pH of 10. Though both ended up dying before the experiment had ended, the pH 1s were at least 1.5 cm taller than the pH 10 at all dates. Yet another example of conclusions that could be drawn from my data is that the pH 10 died either during the process of germination or before germination occurred. This conclusion can be drawn because the pH 10 plants did not sprout at all, and remain at a height of 0 cm the whole project, this can be seen in our graph. They most likely died because pea plants don't enjoy such a high or low pH, like basil or parsley, but instead, they likely enjoy a more acidic soil like blueberries. If we were given an opportunity we would most likely try to see what was going on internally when we watered them with the pHs again. |
| Investigation Theme | WOS |
| Grade Level | Middle School Students (grades 6,7,8) |
| School Name | Nottingham School |
| Session | Spring 2019 |