Blog 1 Submission

Hi guyz!!
Yay!! I just looked at the email Ms Zhang had sent and realised that I'd done pretty much everything she asked!! Oh...I feel so complete now!! Anyway here's my project design!! Enjoy!

So the aim of this experiment is to find out how different colours of light affect plants' growth.

For my hypothesis, I predict that plants will grow better in normal sunlight/white light (as it is a combination of all the colours of lights in the light spectrum), rather than in one certain colour.

From my research* so far I have learnt that:

• Chlorophyll absorbs light energy in the first step of photosynthesis
• photosynthesis is the process by which plants convert electromagnetic energy into chemical energy.
• light contains many colours, each with a defined range of wavelengths;not all colors of light are equally effective at driving photosynthesis.
• certain red and blue wavelengths of light are the most effective in photosynthesis because they have exactly the right amount of energy to energise chlorophyll electrons and boost them to a higher energy level
• other pigments enhance the light-absorption capacity of the leaf by capturing a broader spectrum of blue and red wavelengths, along with yellow and orange wavelengths.
• none of the photosynthetic pigments absorb green light and as a result, green wavelengths are reflected, causing plants to appear green

The following is a list of equipment I'm going to need for the experiment:

• Different colours of cellophane (depends on which ones I am able to find...but I'm gonna try to get clear, black, red, blue, yellow, green, orange, purple, pink and grey)
• Pots (the number of pots will depend on how many different cellophane colours I am able to find)
• Seeds (probably beans, or something simple like that...)
• Water (for watering the plants...duh!!)
• Sunlight (in my backyard)
• fertilizer
• soil
• measuring tape or a ruler
• Camera
• paper (to record measurements)

My variables:


-The dependant variable for this experiment is: The plants' heights
-The independant variable for this experiment are: The colour of the light...in other words, the cellophane colour.
-The controlled variables for this experiment include: size, shape and type of plants; the size and shape of pots; types, brands and amounts of fertilizer, soil and potting soil; the amount of water; coloured cellophane (eg. same ones used when repeating the experiment), the positions of the pots.


The method for my experiment will be something like this:
First I have to plant atleast 2 seeds in each pot and apply the recommended dosage of fertilizer. Then I must place each colour of cellophane over the pots. All the plants will be placed in my backyard where there is plenty of sunlight. I will have to water the plants everyday (with same amounts of water); take and record (in a table) their measurements probably every 2nd day; and take photos every 3rd day. When measuring I must be sure to measure from the bottom of the pot and not the surface of the potting soil. I must repeat the entire experiment atleast once more to make sure it is conducted fairly.

  

*- sources:

• http://www.colormatters.com/entercolormatters.html
• Dickson, Leal G. "Photosynthesis." Microsoft® Student 2009 [DVD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation, 2008.
• http://www.ehow.com/facts_5154127_different-light-affect-plant-growth.html
• http://www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~breads/sfproj1.htm

Variables

Hello all!! Below are the variables for my back up ideas. I haven't listed all the ideas I had before because the more I thought about their variables, the more "holes" it had...In other words, I eliminated some ideas because they hurt my brain each time I thought about them,ok?
Oh and BTW I'm sure there's still plenty more variable for each idea...but here's what I have for now:

•Does the colour of a candle affect the rate at which it burns?
Dependent Variable(s): The rate at which the candles burn
Independent Variable(s): The colour of the candle
Controlled Variable(s): The place where I conduct the experiment (so the same temperature and atmosphere), the shape and size of the candles, the brand....

 •Do plants grow better with sunlight or artificial light?
Dependent Variable(s): Plants' growth (height, life span)
Independent Variable(s): The types of light (sunlight, incandescent light bulbs, Fluorescent bulbs, Metal-Halide and High-Pressure-Sodium etc)
Controlled Variable(s): the size pot for each plant, type of plant in each pot, type and amount of soil and fertilizer in each pot, the amount of water...


•Does the colour of water affect its evaporation rate?
Dependent Variable(s): The evaporation rate
Independent Variable(s): The colour of the water
Controlled Variable(s): the amount of water, the amount of food colouring put into it...

Okies...that's all for now...might have some more to add in about an hour or so...but till then, Ta Ta!!