| Explore |
We know that plants use photosynthesis to get food/energy.
We conducted a number of experiments with celery before this final research question (see our photos and posts below). |
| Research Question |
How can we make celery bend with salt? |
| Predictions |
Fully in water - I think it will bend a lot because in previous experiments only the bits in water have bent.
1mL salt - I think it will bend considerably, but I also think it might shrivel like the 30g salt one did, but I am not sure.
8 and 14 mL salt - I think it might work really good because the first celery with 2mL salt didn't do much, but with the 30mL salt it pretty much died, so in between them might work better. |
| Experimental Design |
We put celery in different solutions and wrote down the results of day 1.
To start the length of all the celery was 15cm and the width was 1cm (omitting results from 6g salt because size was not constant). There was 100mL of water in the same size beakers. The independent variable was the amount of salt. We added 1mL, 4mL, 6mL, 8mL, 10mL, 14mL to 6 different beakers. We also took the mass of each celery. We also immersed one celery fully in water.
When we came back we recorded the results for day 5. We then compared the results and asked the question: Why did the celery _______ because of _________?
Please see photo of data table. |
| Conclusion |
By the end of our experiment we realized that when you put celery in salty water you have to balance out the water and the salt. If there is too much salt it becomes really flexible and stringy so the ones with lower/more balanced salt bent more. In the results photo, you can see that the 1mL salt bent the most. Water is in a place of higher concentration but doesn't want to be there so it goes into a lower place of concentration, in this case the celery.
Celery bends mostly when salt and water is balanced or when it is fully immersed in water. |
| Investigation Theme |
CEL |
| Grade Level |
Elementary School (5th grade) |
| Teacher Name |
Jenn Carlson |
| School Name |
The Roeper School |
| Session |
Spring 2024 |
| About this Project |
This group had a fantastic attitude toward their project and toward learning in general. Their communication with their mentor was great and they made observations that were equally astute and amusing. They seemed genuinely invested and driven (especially for their age group) and I thoroughly enjoyed reading their posts! -- Cael Dant, Liaison |