SCIENCE 08
Notebook Page EEXPERIMENT # 1
TO FERTILIZE OR NOT TO FERTILIZE
PROBLEM
:To determine the effect of varying concentrations of fertilizer on rye grass growth and appearance.
HYPOTHESIS
:Rye grass will grow best and appear healthiest when (water, regular fertilizer, extra fertilizer) is used to water the plants.
APPARATUS AND MATERIALS:
9 rye grass seedsMasking tape3 wooden sticksGraduated cylinder
3 plant containersRulerPotting soil
Solutions "A", "B", and "C" made as follows:
"A"Water
"B"Regular fertilizer
"C"Extra fertilizer
PROCEDURE:
1.Using masking tape label the three wood sticks and the three plant containers as follows:
ABC
BLOCKBLOCKBLOCK
NAMESNAMESNAMES
2.Mark soil depths on the wood sticks and plant seeds as in Diagram
I.3.Water the soil in each plant container each class day as follows:
Container "A" with mL of Solution "A"Note:The volume used will depend on the size
Container "B" with mL of Solution "B"of the pot or container but must be
Container "C" with mL of Solution "C"sufficient to keep the soil moist.
4.Each class day for each container record in Table
I the following:a.The height of each blade of rye grass.
b.The average height of the rye grass in each group.
c.The appearance of the rye grass (eg. none present, wilted, green, yellow).
5.Use the data from Table
I to construct a properly labelled and formatted graph to illustrate rye grass growth for each of the three groups of rye grass (three lines on one graph).EXPERIMENT #1: RYE GRASS PAGE 2Notebook Page E
DISCUSSION
:Answer the following questions in complete sentences.1.What is the experimental variable in this experiment ?
2.List all of the controlled variables in this experiment. There are more than five.
3.List several variables in this experiment that it would have been advisable to control but they weren't.
4.Which was the control group ?
5.Which were the experimental groups ?
6.On the last day of the experiment rank the three groups in order of growth from tallest to shortest.
7.At what age (in days) does each plant group achieve its maximum height ? (Refer to Graph I)
8.Which plant group grew the fastest during the first week ? (Refer to Graph I)
9.At what age did each plant group achieve a height of 120 millimetres ? (Refer to Graph
I)10.If any of the plant groups died, which one and at what age (in days) ?
11.Which groups if any did not show any significant difference in growth when compared to each other ?
CONCLUSION:Answer in complete sentences.
1.State your judgement of your hypothesis. (Was it correct or incorrect ?)
2.Write a conclusion statement that addresses the original problem.
SOURCES OF ERROR:
INSTRUMENTAL
: (Refer to the Table on Page A9)List the two measuring devices used and list their uncertainties as follows:
± mm
± mL
PROCEDURAL:
List factors (NOT MISTAKES !) that we were unable to correct or control but that might affect the results of the experiment.