Student Research Project Report - Lou

Work SampleLoucfitineicS ortpeRPlants grow better in the dark?Aim: To test whether a bean will grow better inthe dark rather than in the sunlight.Hypothesis: The plant should grow better inthe sunlight than darkness because the plantneeds the sunlight to grow.In aninvestigation suchas this it is betterto formulate aclear statementdescribing thepurposeaddressed by theinvestigation,rather than anaim.

Work SampleApparatus: 375ml Water 600g Seed raising mix 30 Snow Bean seeds 10, 177ml foam cups Gloves Goggles Pipette (1ml)PipetteFoam CupsSafety gogglesWaterSeed raising mixSnow bean seedsGlovesLou

Work SampleRiskRisk Assessment:PreventionSoil flicked on to the nakedeye Using hands for the soil Pots shattering andsomeone gets hurt orinjured Wear Safety goggles Wear gloves then disposein the bin after use If there is a spill mop upthe spill All ways keep the pot inthe middle of the benchand any broken potsremove cautiouslyMethod:1. Place 60g of seed raising mix in 10 foamcups, which are 177ml.2. Place 5 snow bean seeds in each pot 2cmdeep.3. Drop 10 drops on each seed every day usinga pipette.4. Place 5 cups in a dark room.5. Place 5 cups where there is sunlight.6. Measure and record all pots every day witha camera, ruler, pencil and paper.Lou

Work SampleIndependent DependentControlSunlightBeanGrowth of plantDarknessSoilWaterLouInclusion of thevariables ofamounts of light/dark andtemperaturewould improvethe validity ofthisinvestigation.Results:DayDay 1Day 2Day 3Day 4Day 5Day 7Day8Plants in the Sun0cm0cm0cm0.5cm1cm2cm3cmPlants in the Dark0cm0cm1cm2cm4cm6.5cm9cmThe methodrequires fivesamples to betested. Someevidence of thisin the resultswould improvethe report.

Work SampleLouDiscussion:My experiment was does plants grow better inthe dark rather than the sunlight. It was asuccessful experiment that worked but myhypothesis was wrong. The plants in the darkroom grew much better than the ones outside ittripled in size. The plants left in the dark grew atan average of 3.2 cm per day as they grew theyturned yellow. I have learnt that the increasedheight is a response to low light levels - the plantis trying to grow over anything that may beblocking the light, and will grow towards anysource of light. The plant they turn yellowbecause the chlorophyll (which gives plants itsgreen hue) is unable to absorb energy from lightto start the process of photosynthesis.ConclusionThe hypothesis of my experiment was that theplant should grow better in the sunlight than darknessbecause the plant needs the sunlight to grow. Myresults reject the hypothesis.The discussionshows evidenceof research doneafter theinvestigation totry to explain theresults. Priorresearch wouldhave assisted indistinguishingplant growthfrom seedgermination.The conclusion isa statementreflecting thepurpose of theinvestigation andis based on theevidencecollected.

Work SampleLouAcknowledgementsPot Sizes- http://www.crocus.co.uk/html/pot size.htmTypes of beanshttp://www.grow-cook-eat beans.com/types of beans.htmlIndependent-Dependent variables- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dependent and independent variablesHow to make a scientific report- http://unilearning.uow.edu.au/report/2b.htmlWhy do plants grow faster in the dark? http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Do plants grow faster in light or darkWhy do plants turn yellow in the dark? http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why do the leaves of plants become yellow orpale green when they are kept in the darkGrade CommentaryLou has demonstrated an ability to plan and conduct a scientific investigation. It shows abasic understanding of variables but only a limited understanding of scientific phenomenawithin the choice of topic. Lou’s scientific report would benefit from greater detail andanalyses of data. This work sample demonstrates characteristics of work typically producedby a student performing at grade D standard.

plant should grow better in the sunlight than darkness because the plant needs the sunlight to grow. My results reject the hypothesis. The discussion shows evidence of research done after the investigation to try to explain the results. Prior research would have assisted in distinguishing plant growth from seed germination. The conclusion is