| Research Question | How does the type of leaf used affect the rate of photosynthesis? |
|---|---|
| Predictions | We predicted that Kale would have the greatest rate of photosynthesis because it was the thinnest leaf that we had. |
| Experimental Design | Procedure: (Turn on light bulb before beginning procedure) 1. Fill a cup with 100 mL of water. Then dissolve 1g of baking soda into the water. 2. Using a hole punch, cut out 10 leaf disks from a spinach leaf. 3. Use the Leaf Disk Flotation method to sink all 10 spinach chads in the solution. 4. Place cup with the leaf disks and solution underneath the light source and start the stopwatch. 5. If needed, you can gently stir the solution once every couple of minutes. 6. At every minute for 10 minutes, record the number of leaf chads that have risen to the surface of the solution. 7. Repeat steps 1-6 twice more using spinach leaves. 8. Repeat steps 1-7, but replace spinach leaves with kale, then arugula, and then mint leaves. |
| Conclusion | Claim and Evidence: Kale had the highest rate of photosynthesis,which is shown in the data because it has the highest average number of disks risen to the top from minutes 4-10, this is because Kale was the thinnest leaf so the leaf could absorb the light the fastest. Our hypothesis was correct, which stated that we thought Kale would rise the fastest and that was the leaf that rose the fastest. |
| Investigation Theme | POS |
| Grade Level | High School Students (Grades 9,10,11,12) |
| School Name | West High School |
| Session | Spring 2019 |