MAARK/ Woodstock High School / WSHS_S09_W47

School Level: High School
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Research Information


Research Question
How will mineral concentration in different types of water (spring, tap, and distilled) affect growing sunflower seeds?

Research Predictions
Spring water out of filter will be the best for the plant growth because it contains no chlorine.

Experimental Design
We plan on growing sunflower seeds with all the same conditions (i.e. amount of water, light exposure, etc) except for the type of water we are using to water them. We are growing the plants in ziploc bags with filter paper. We will determine plant growth by measuring root length and plant height. We are going to use six total bags (2 in spring water, 2 in distilled water, 2in tap water) and then average the 2in each group together. There will be 20 seeds in each bag. We are doing this doing this because we dont want our whole expiriment to be skewed by one faulty seed. Until the seeds sprout, due to size constraints, we are going to keep them out of the light and then put them into the light when they emerge and start to sprout.

Research Conclusions



Conversations - use this space to communicate about this project


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April 1, 2009 | 4:51 AM | daisyisaferret  (Student, germinators - OPM_S09_W12 · -1)

hello
we grew alphalfa seeds in water and coke. that water seeds did very well but the coke seeds did not do good they molded and only six out the forty we put in there sprouted.
March 30, 2009 | 12:43 AM | PS team

Good bye
Thank you everyone who participated in this inquiry!

MAARK, please post some research conclusions in the space provided above.

We hope you are going away with some new insights about how science works, and confidence that you can take on new scientific challenges. There are a lot of fascinating research questions---just waiting for young investigators to join in the fun.

Best wishes for the remainder of your school year!
Jennifer
March 27, 2009 | 4:56 AM | Dr. Peter H. Raven  (Scientist/Mentor)

Finished?
Hi MAARK, I'm pleased you found PlantingScience rewarding and that it helped you better understand how research takes place. Have you completed you project?
March 27, 2009 | 4:03 AM | guard2011  (Team Member)

Thanks!
Thank you so much for helping us on our experiment!
March 27, 2009 | 4:01 AM | whs_lacrosse_6  (Team Member)

Thank you!
Thank you so much for your time! You really helped us!

-Alyssa
March 27, 2009 | 4:01 AM | whsbasketball15  (Team Member)

Thank you
Thank you so much for helping us. We really appreciated your time, and enjoyed this experience!
-Aysha
March 27, 2009 | 3:56 AM | krissy49799  (Team Member)

Thanks!
Thanks for taking the time to mentor us! It really helped us better understand the experiment.
-Krissy
March 25, 2009 | 4:10 AM | whs_lacrosse_6  (Team Member)

Moldy Seeds
We decided to remove the moldy seeds. We documented this in our data.
March 20, 2009 | 9:20 PM | Dr. Peter H. Raven  (Scientist/Mentor)

Why?
KAYLA2009 - What makes you think propell water will speed up the growth process?
MAARK, how's the research and your graph coming along? I look forward to viewing your progress.
Peter
March 19, 2009 | 3:36 AM | KAYLA2009  (Student, DhA CREw - DHM_S09_W15 · 3)

this is what i think....
i think that the vitimans in propell water will speed up the growth the process.
March 17, 2009 | 6:19 PM | Dr. Peter H. Raven  (Scientist/Mentor)

Graphing Data
What did you decide about the moldy seeds? You can remove them, but make sure you note this in your journal so others are able to see why there are fewer measurements for that group.
Are you able to put you data in a format that allows you to graphically show what is happening? Have a look at the Guide to Using A Spreadsheet. It may assist your efforts. I’m sure you will figure it out. I look forward to seeing your results.
Peter
March 17, 2009 | 4:08 AM | maymay43210  (Team Member)

Moldy seeds?
We have a couple seeds in our bags that are moldy and have not germinated. Should we remove them so that no other seeds become moldy or should we leave them in there? Thank you!
March 15, 2009 | 7:33 AM | maymay43210  (Team Member)


Okay. Thank you.
March 15, 2009 | 3:20 AM | dreamlove  (Student, Experimental Craze - WSHS_S09_W39 · -1)

Hey
My team is conducting a experiment similar to yours, in the fact that we are testing plant growth depending on what type of water the grow in , tap, purified, salt, and sugar. You should look at our project and tell us what you think.
March 13, 2009 | 6:20 AM | Dr. Peter H. Raven  (Scientist/Mentor)

Thanks
Thanks for the response. I look forward to seeing what you’ve found. Water is such a critical component in all life processes. Understanding what happens as it becomes polluted by various means and differing elements/compounds is a worthy investigation.
March 13, 2009 | 4:23 AM | maymay43210  (Team Member)

Reply
We could help people by helping them know what kind of water to water their plants with. Also, there are many other things that could effect it. We don't know the exact makeup of the water types yet but we will look it up. Sodium could also be a key element in it.
March 12, 2009 | 6:51 AM | Dr. Peter H. Raven  (Scientist/Mentor)

Good Start
Hi MAARK

Sounds like you’ve put a good deal of thought into your research option. Can you tell me what practical applications you research might have outside of your lab? Are there variables other than chlorine in the various water types that might come into play? Good luck! I look forward to watching your progress.

Peter
March 9, 2009 | 3:59 AM | krissy49799  (Team Member)

Hi i'm Krissy
Hi, I'm the K in MAARK. I am 14 and a freshman at Woodstock High School. I'm very interested in biology and also hope to have a career in this field. A scientist mentor would be very helpful on this project in order to help us understand more aboutt he topic.
March 2, 2009 | 9:14 AM | PS team

Welcome MAARK
I am happy to welcome you to this community of plant researchers.

Your scientist mentor, Peter Raven from Missouri Botanical Garden, will help you focus your ideas as you develop and refine your research question and experimental design. Best wishes as you embark on this scientific journey. We are all pleased to share this experience with you.

Have fun!
Jennifer Potratz
and the PlantingScience team
March 2, 2009 | 4:01 AM | maymay43210  (Team Member)

The K
The K in MAARK stands for Krissy but she is currently on vacation and will home Wednesday.
March 2, 2009 | 3:59 AM | maymay43210  (Team Member)

Hi, Im Mary.
Hello, my name is Mary. I am 14 and attend Woodstock High School as a freshman. I am very interested in Biology and hope to have a future career in something related to it. I love to work with animals, but plants are cool also. I am taking AP Biology next year and hope that this lab will help me further my ability to work on developing expiriments and lab journals. I am looking forward to your feedback and help. Thank you so much for your time. It means alot to us.
March 2, 2009 | 3:59 AM | whs_lacrosse_6  (Team Member)

Hi!
Hey! I'm Alyssa the other "A" in MAARK. We are testing the effect on different types of water on sunflower seeds. I'm very excited to work with a scientist because, as a group, we can recieve different kinds of feedback. This feedback is different from our teacher's because you have done experiments like this before and know what to look for.
March 2, 2009 | 3:58 AM | guard2011  (Team Member)

Rachael
Hi I'm Rachael, I'm 16 and a sophmore at Woodstock High School. I'm interested to see how the different kinds of water work on our plant, and I am glad that we have a mentor to help us.
March 2, 2009 | 3:57 AM | whsbasketball15  (Team Member)

Hey :)
Hi. I'm Aysha, one of the A's in MAARK. We are testing the effects of different kinds of water (spring, tap, purified) on sunflower seeds. It is going to be great having a scientist as a mentor on this project. :)




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