Factors affecting the rate of photosynthesis

(temperature, light intensity, water, carbon dioxide)

Part of light spectrum used in photosynthesis

Introduction: (Initial Observation)

Photosynthesis is the process by which green
plants and certain other organisms transform
light into chemical energy. In green plants,
light energy is captured by chlorophyll in the
chloroplasts of the leaves and used to
convert water, carbon dioxide, and minerals
into oxygen and energy-rich organic
compounds (simple and complex sugars)
that are the basis of both plant and animal
life. Photosynthesis consists of a number of
photochemical and enzymatic reactions. Any
acceleration in the process of photosynthesis
will naturally result production of more
organic compounds and more plant growth.
For this reason we want to do a research on
factors affecting photosynthesis. In the first
part of this project we will research on
environmental factors such as water, carbon
dioxide, temperature and light intensity. In
the second part of this project we will study
the parts of light spectrum used in
photosynthesis. These two can be treated as
two different projects, so you may select
only one of them for your science project.
I have used pink background and blue background to separate information about these two
possible projects.
Dear

This project guide contains information that you need in order to start your project. If you
have any questions or need more support about this project, click on the "Ask Question"
button on the top of this page to send me a message.

If you are new in doing science project, click on "How to Start" in the main page. There
you will find helpful links that describe different types of science projects, scientific
method, variables, hypothesis, graph, abstract and all other general basics that you need
to know.

Project advisor

Information Gathering:
Find out about photosynthesis and plant growth. Read books, magazines or ask
professionals who might know in order to learn about the factors affecting the rate of
photosynthesis. Keep track of where you got your information from.

Following are samples of information that you may find.

Many people think that plants feed on water and soil. When I was a child, I would
frequently look at the soil around the backyard tree and I expected the soil go down as
the tree grows; however, this never happened. Contrary to my expectation, soil around
the tree started to rise as the tree's root grew.

The fact is that the main foods for plants are carbon dioxide from the air and water from
the soil. The magical power that combines water and carbon dioxide and makes wood
and leaves and fruits is coming from the sunlight (or any other light).

The process in which sunlight converts water and carbon dioxide to wood, sugar and
thousands of other chemicals (in plants) is called photosynthesis.

Since photosynthesis is the mechanism of plant growth, it is important to know how

different factors affect the rate of photosynthesis. Project Advisor

We can write the overall reaction of photosynthesis process as:

6H2O + 6CO2 ----------> C6H12O6+ 6O2

Most of us don't speak chemicals, so the above chemical equation translates as:

six molecules of water plus six molecules of carbon dioxide produce one molecule
of sugar plus six molecules of oxygen

http://gened.emc.maricopa.edu/bio/bio181/BIOBK/BioBookPS.html

Spectrum and Photosynthesis

Question/ Purpose:
What do you want to find out? Write a statement that describes what you want to do. Use
your observations and questions to write the statement.
1. The purpose of this project is to see how temperature, light intensity, water and carbon
dioxide can affect the process of photosynthesis.
2. The purpose of this project is to see what part of the light spectrum affects the process
of photosynthesis.

Identify Variables:
When you think you know what variables may be involved, think about ways to change one
at a time. If you change more than one at a time, you will not know what variable is causing
your observation. Sometimes variables are linked and work together to cause something. At
first, try to choose variables that you think act independently of each other.
1. Variables that may affect the process of photosynthesis and we will test them here are:
temperature, light intensity, amount of water and concentration of carbon dioxide.
2. Variable that we will test in this project is a part of the light spectrum. We can also
define this a the color of light or the wavelength of light.

Hypothesis:
Based on your gathered information, make an educated guess about what types of things
affect the system you are working with. Identifying variables is necessary before you can
make a hypothesis.
1. My hypothesis is that water, carbon dioxide and proper temperature should exist and
then light will be able to start the process of photosynthesis. I rate the effect of these
variables as follows:
Highest effect (more light may force the plant to absorb more
Light
carbon dioxide and more water too)
Carbon dioxide Second highest effect
water Is required but excess water does not cause excess photosynthesis
temperature Is required, but excess heat does not cause excess photosynthesis

Following experiments will test each of these hypothesis.

2. My hypothesis is that UV light and blue light are more effective in photosynthesis
process.

Note: Any time that you propose a hypothesis, you may be asked about your initial reason
for your hypothesis. So be prepared to answer. If the above hypothesis are not what you
think, just come up with your own hypothesis. Remember hypothesis does not need to be
true! It just need to be testable. Your hypothesis may be founded on your previous
experiments or your gathered information.

Experiment Design:
Design an experiment to test each hypothesis. Make a step-by-step list of what you will do
to answer each question. This list is called an experimental procedure. For an experiment to
give answers you can trust, it must have a "control." A control is an additional experimental
trial or run. It is a separate experiment, done exactly like the others. The only difference is
that no experimental variables are changed. A control is a neutral "reference point" for
comparison that allows you to see what changing a variable does by comparing it to not
changing anything. Dependable controls are sometimes very hard to develop. They can be
the hardest part of a project. Without a control you cannot be sure that changing the
variable causes your observations. A series of experiments that includes a control is called a
"controlled experiment."
The main challenge in this project is to decide how are we going to test the rate of
photosynthesis? Some of the methods that we can think of are:

1. Photosynthesis absorbs carbon dioxide. If we perform our tests in a closed

container, we can measure and use the rate of carbon dioxide reduction as the rate
of photosynthesis. But a carbon dioxide monitoring tool is about $500 that seems
too expensive for a science project test.
2. Photosynthesis produces oxygen. If we perform our tests in a closed container, we
can measure and use the rate of oxygen production as the rate of photosynthesis.
However, there is no tool that easily monitors and shows the rate of oxygen in the
 air. We could possibly try to burn a candle inside the container and estimate the
oxygen amount based on the burning time of candle, but this does not produce a
reliable result.
3. Photosynthesis produces organic material that form the body of the plant. In other
words growth of the plant is the direct result of photosynthesis. So we can measure
the weight of dry plant and use it as a product of photosynthesis. This requires a
longer period of experiments. In order to produce enough organic material (plant
body) and weight it, you need to continue each experiment at least 30 days.
Otherwise the amount of weight increase will not be enough to provide you with
reliable results.
4. Final way that is a quick and inexpensive method is using a water plant. Oxygen
produced by a water plant can be gathered under a glass tube such as a test tube
and can simply be measured. Following is the detail:

Experiment 1:

Introduction:

In this experiment we will observe evidence of photosynthesis in a water plant. We will

assemble the equipment needed to measure the rate of photosynthesis in elodea (water
plant). We count or collect bubbles of oxygen gas given off by elodea to determine the rate
of photosynthesis. We will then change the conditions of photosynthesis by altering light
intensity and carbon dioxide amount, and determine the effects on the photosynthesis rate.
Finally we prepare a graph of the collected data and analyze it.

Materials Needed:

1. Pond weed like Elodea or Lagarosiphonelodea (water plant)

2. Lamp (40 watt)
3. Test tube or measuring cylinder
4. Razor blade (single-edge)
5. Dechlorinated water (room temperature)
6. Tape
7. Sodium bicarbonate powder (baking soda)
8. Clock or timer
9. Metal stand with rod or test tube rack
10. Metric ruler

Procedure:

PART A. Setting Up the Experiment

1. Obtain a sprig of Elodea. Remove several leaves from around the cut end of
the stem. Slice off a portion of the stem at an angle and lightly crush the
cut end of the stem.
2. Place the plant into the test tube, stem end up, filled with water.
3. Secure the test tube to a metal stand with tape or place the test tube in a
test tube rack.
PART B. Running the Experiment
1. Place a 40 watt lamp 5 cm from the plant. After one minute, count and
record the number of oxygen bubbles rising from the cut end of the stem.
Count bubbles for five minutes. If bubbles fail to appear, cut off more of
the stem and recrush.
2. Run a second five-minute trial. Record and average your results.
3. Move the lamp so it is 20 cm from the plant. After one minute count and
record bubbles for two five-minutes trials. Again, average and record your
results.
4. Add a pinch of sodium bicarbonate powder to the test tube. Place the lamp
5 cm from the test tube. After one minute, record bubbles for two five-
minute trials. Average and record your results.
5. Prepare a graph of your results. Use the average number of bubbles for the
vertical axis. Use the type of environmental condition for the horizontal
axis.

Use the result of your experiments to answer these questions:

1. How does this investigation demonstrate that plants give off oxygen during
photosynthesis? Explain your answer based on your observations.
2. How does the rate of photosynthesis change when the light source is moved
from a distance of 5 cm to 20 cm?
3. How does the rate of photosynthesis change when sodium bicarbonate is added
to the water?

Conclusions:

Plants use green pigments called chlorophylls to trap light energy. The
chlorophylls give a plant its green color. Inside the cells that have
chloroplasts, the light energy is used to make a simple sugar called glucose.
The process by which plants use light energy to make glucose is called
photosynthesis.

During this process of sugar production, carbon dioxide combines with water to
form glucose and oxygen is released. Oxygen that is produced in photosynthesis
is given off as a gas. If a lot of oxygen is being given off, photosynthesis is
occurring rapidly. If little oxygen is being given off, photosynthesis is
occurring slowly. The amount of trapped light energy and the amount of carbon
dioxide available affects the rate of photosynthesis.

The purpose of adding sodium bicarbonate powder to the water increases the
amount of carbon dioxide in the water.

This investigation can be performed with water plants grown in many parts of
the world, except regions that have permanent ice.
Experiment 2:

Introduction:
During the process of photosynthesis large sugar molecules also known as starch will
be produced in leafs. Starch is also plant's food. If the plant for any reason does not get
light for a while, it will consume the existing starch and the leafs will have no starch. This
gives me the idea of how I can test the effect of light spectrum on the process of
photosynthesis.

What I will do is that I will first test the leafs of a live green plant for starch to make sure
that I can use Iodine solution to test that starch. Then I will somehow cover one of the
leafs, so it will get no light and losses all it's starch. (I still don't know how long will it take
for a leaf to lose all its starch! but I am sure I can find out within a few preliminary tests).

When the leaf is starch free, I will place it under a light

spectrum (The sunlight passing trough a prism. That will start
the process of photosynthesis and starch production again. I
can then disconnect the leaf and test it with Iodine solution
for starch. Areas that have more starch will represent more
photosynthesis and with a few pen marks, we can locate the
light colors that resulted high starch areas.

Other methods of doing this project will use the rate of plant growth as the rate of
photosynthesis. To be more accurate, instead of using the plant height as an indication of
plant growth, dry weight of the plant is being calculated at the end of the experiment. To
do this, dry the plant in a temperature of 108º C for 24 hours. Then use a high precision
scale to weight the dry plant. For this method you will have to have many samples and you
often start from planting identical seeds. Also in these methods instead of using a prism,
you will use color cellophane to filter the color. You will use yellow, orange, red, green,
blue and purple cellophanes to filter the white light and produce samples of color spectrum.

Materials and Equipment:

List of material can be extracted from the experiment section.

Results of Experiment (Observation):

Experiments are often done in series. A series of experiments can be done by changing one
variable a different amount each time. A series of experiments is made up of separate
experimental "runs." During each run you make a measurement of how much the variable
affected the system under study. For each run, a different amount of change in the variable
is used. This produces a different amount of response in the system. You measure this
response, or record data, in a table for this purpose. This is considered "raw data" since it
has not been processed or interpreted yet. When raw data gets processed mathematically,
for example, it becomes results.

Calculations:
No calculation is required for this project.

Summary of Results:
Summarize what happened. This can be in the form of a table of processed numerical data,
or graphs. It could also be a written statement of what occurred during experiments.

It is from calculations using recorded data that tables and graphs are made. Studying tables
and graphs, we can see trends that tell us how different variables cause our observations.
Based on these trends, we can draw conclusions about the system under study. These
conclusions help us confirm or deny our original hypothesis. Often, mathematical equations
can be made from graphs. These equations allow us to predict how a change will affect the
system without the need to do additional experiments. Advanced levels of experimental
science rely heavily on graphical and mathematical analysis of data. At this level, science
becomes even more interesting and powerful.

Conclusion:
Using the trends in your experimental data and your experimental observations, try to
answer your original questions. Is your hypothesis correct? Now is the time to pull together
what happened, and assess the experiments you did.

Related Questions & Answers:

What you have learned may allow you to answer other questions. Many questions are
related. Several new questions may have occurred to you while doing experiments. You may
now be able to understand or verify things that you discovered when gathering information
for the project. Questions lead to more questions, which lead to additional hypothesis that
need to be tested.

Possible Errors:
If you did not observe anything different than what happened with your control, the variable
you changed may not affect the system you are investigating. If you did not observe a
consistent, reproducible trend in your series of experimental runs there may be
experimental errors affecting your results. The first thing to check is how you are making
your measurements. Is the measurement method questionable or unreliable? Maybe you
are reading a scale incorrectly, or maybe the measuring instrument is working erratically.

If you determine that experimental errors are influencing your results, carefully rethink the
design of your experiments. Review each step of the procedure to find sources of potential
errors. If possible, have a scientist review the procedure with you. Sometimes the designer
of an experiment can miss the obvious.

References:
List of References

Although seemingly simple in concept, the photosynthesis process is very complicated.

Follow these links to articles that discuss photosynthesis at varying degrees of complexity.

Introduction to Photosynthesis and Its Applications -- A basic introduction to photosynthesis

which explains many areas studied by photosynthesis researchers and highlights much of
the work we do at the Photosynthesis Center. [level: middle school and above]

Photosynthesis and the World Wide Web -- An article presented at the XIth International
Photosynthesis Congress (Aug. 1998), that discusses how to find photosynthesis-related
information on the web.
Why Do Leaves Turn Color in Fall?--Reproduced by permission from Science Made Simple,
an excellent source of science information for elementary through middle school children
(and their parents!). Includes some easy experiments/demonstrations. [level: elementary
through middle school]

Photosynthesis: Don't "Leaf" Out Fall's Most Valuable Lesson! from Education World also
discusses photosynthesis and fall leaves. [level: elementary through middle school]

Newton's Apple TV program on Photosynthesis--some very basic definitions and

projects [level: elementary through middle school]

Photosynthetic Pigments--why plants are green and other colors, from the University of
California Museum of Paleontology [level: elementary through college]

Using photosynthesis in a high school biology class--a section of the National Science
Education Standards from the National Academy of Sciences showing how photosynthesis
can be used to teach the scientific method and show the development of scientific
knowledge. [level: high school]

Photosynthetic Pictures--Are Worth More Than a Thousand Words--a good classroom guide
to preparing starch photos. [level: high school]

Photosynthesis--by M. J. Farabee. An excellent introduction to the entire photosynthetic

process. [level: high school to undergraduate]

Photosynthesis--a very good hypertext book from the Massachusetts Institute of

Technology. [level: high school to undergraduate]

ASU Research: The Power of Green--a cover story and related articles about what we do at
the ASU Photosynthesis Center. [level: high school to undergraduate]

How Plants Cope with Desert Climate from the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum--explains
how plants in desert areas use a special photosynthetic adaptation called CAM. [level: all
ages]

Form and Photosynthesis in Vascular Plants--from Prof. Thomas J. Herbert, University of

Miami: explains why plants have leaves and why some move around. A simple model of
canopy photosynthesis rates is also presented. [level: high school to undergraduate]

Photosynthetic Antennas and Reaction Centers--a good introduction to some of the technical
aspects of photosynthesis by Robert E. Blankenship from our own ASU Photosynthesis
Center [level: undergraduate college]

The Photosynthetic Process--a good review of photosynthesis by John Whitmarsh and

Govindjee from the University of Illinois [level: high school to undergraduate]

Light Harvesting in Bacterial Photosynthesis--from the Theoretical Biophysics Group at the

University of Illinois, Urbana: very good up-to-date coverage of the topic and many
excellent figures. [level: undergraduate college]
Introduction to Cyanobacteria--from UC Berkeley: an introduction to some very important
bacteria and includes information about cyanobacterial fossils. [level: high school to
undergraduate]

The bc1 Complex Home Page--from Tony Crofts' lab at the University of Illinois. Contains
numerous links to illustrations and other labs studying the bc1 complex. [level: high school
to undergraduate college]

Field Photosynthesis Measurement Systems --a group from New Mexico State University
shows how instruments are used to measure photosynthesis rates outdoors in
nature. [level: high school to undergraduate college]

Chlorophyll Fluorescence--from Opti-Sciences, a manufacturer of fluorometers. [level:

undergraduate college]

Family studies on genetic inheritance

Introduction: (Initial Observation)

Genetic studies can be performed to identify the effect

of gene on properties and characteristic of any
organism. (Gene is a hereditary unit that occupies a
specific location on a chromosome and determines a
particular characteristic in an organism.) We may
perform genetic studies on human, animals, plants and
even bacteria. Every genetic study will focus on a
different characteristic of the subject. Genetic studies
on hair color and facial features such as eye color and
shape of ears are among genetic studies that can be
performed on humans and can be conducted by
Intermediate or senior students.

The general purpose of doing these experiments is to understand the effect of gene on
certain characteristics of humans and compare it with other environmental factors that may
have a similar effect.
Authors note: The first time that I learned about world countries and the fact that African people are black and people from
the north pole are white, I wondered if it can be the effect of weather and temperature. I though Africans are black
because of sun-burn and people from north pole are white because of the fat layer under their skin caused by a cold
weather. Later when I learned that African people will remain black even if they move to a colder area, again I thought
maybe millions of years exposure to the hot sun at African deserts has had a long lasting effect on their skin and if they
live in a cold area for the same amount of time, they may change color and become white again. Today genetic studies can
help us to understand the effect of gene on skin color and on many other characteristics of human.

Dear
This project guide contains information that you need in order to start your project. If you
have any questions or need more support about this project, click on the "Ask Question"
button on the top of this page to send me a message.

If you are new in doing science project, click on "How to Start" in the main page. There
you will find helpful links that describe different types of science projects, scientific
method, variables, hypothesis, graph, abstract and all other general basics that you need
to know.

Project advisor

Information Gathering:
While you do research about genetic (hereditary) characteristic, it is good idea to look at a
few other similar studies. Here are some:

http://vector.cshl.org/dnaftb/5/concept/fs.html

http://www.budgerigars.co.uk/genetics/pilk.html

Information that you gather, will give you some idea, but finally you have to do the job and
do your own research.

Question/ Purpose:
What do you want to find out? Write a statement that describes what you want to do. Use your observations and questions
to write the statement.

What characteristics do people inherit from their parents?

By looking around we notice that people have different eye colors, different hair colors,
different shapes of ears and fingers and toes. Even amount and distribution of body hair
varies among people. For the purpose of this project we want to discover which of the
above characteristics is inherited from parents or other ancestors.

Identify Variables:
When you think you know what variables may be involved, think about ways to change one at a time. If you change more
than one at a time, you will not know what variable is causing your observation. Sometimes variables are linked and work
together to cause something. At first, try to choose variables that you think act independently of each other.

We may inherit special characteristics from our biological parents or from our ancestors. In
this specific study we will try to identify the special characteristics that we may inherit from
our ancestors.

Independent variable (also known as manipulated variable ) is human race. Possible values
are individuals who you randomly select from different races, nationalities or ethnic groups
for your study. This may also be called a collection.

Dependent variable can be any characteristic that we are studying such as eye color finger
length, and shape of ears. Many of such dependent variables can be studied at the same
time. Every human characteristic such as size, shape and color of body parts or even habits
and some behaviors can be a variable in our study. List variables that you select for your
study in this section. To find out if certain characteristic is hereditary, you need to gather
information about presence of such characteristic and racial information on a large number
of individuals.

As you will see later in experiment section, we have selected more than one dependent
variable for our study.

Hypothesis:
Based on your gathered information, make an educated guess about the characteristic that
are hereditary. Identifying variables is necessary before you can make a hypothesis.

Sample hypothesis:
Hair color and facial features such as eye color and shape of ears can have a genetic root
and that is why often we can identify the race of people by a quick look (Unless they have a
mixed genetic background).

Experiment Design:
Design an experiment to test each hypothesis. Make a step-by-step list of what you will do to answer each question. This
list is called an experimental procedure. For an experiment to give answers you can trust, it must have a "control." A
control is an additional experimental trial or run. It is a separate experiment, done exactly like the others. The only
difference is that no experimental variables are changed. A control is a neutral "reference point" for comparison that allows
you to see what changing a variable does by comparing it to not changing anything. Dependable controls are sometimes
very hard to develop. They can be the hardest part of a project. Without a control you cannot be sure that changing the
variable causes your observations. A series of experiments that includes a control is called a "controlled experiment."

Procedure:

Design a questionnaire for the information that is subject of your study and distribute it
among classmates and family friends. Then compile the results in tables and analyze it to
reach to a conclusion. This is a sample questionnaire (Modify it as you like):

Please check the appropriate box

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. Ethnic Background

White

Black/African American

American Indian, Eskimo, or Aleut

Asian

Pacific Islander

Hispanic

Multiracial

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2. What is your ancestry? (list primary ancestry first)

For example:
I am German/Irish/Dutch
I am Japanese
I am French

I am ..................................

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3. Are you a male or female?

Male Female

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

4. Toes

My big toe is longer than my second toe.

My big toe is shorter than my second toe.

My toes on my right foot are a different length than the toes on my left foot.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

5. Interlacing Fingers - Casually fold your hands together so that your fingers interlace.

My right thumb crosses over my left thumb.

My left thumb crosses over my right thumb.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

6. Earlobe Attachment

My earlobes are attached.

My earlobes are not attached.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

7. Tongue Rolling

I can not roll my tongue.

I can roll my tongue.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

8. Widow's Peak

I have Widow's Peak.

 I do not have Widow's Peak.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

9. Mid - Digital Hair (Hair on the second knuckle of the fingers and toes)

You may need a hand lens for this one. Look for even the slightest amount of hair.
The fingers below have mid-digital hair.

I have mid - digital hair.

I do not have mid - digital hair.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

10. Finger Length

My index finger is shorter than my ring finger.

My index finger is longer than my ring finger.

My finger length on my right hand is different than my finger length on my left hand.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

11. Eye Color

I have brown eyes.

I have blue eyes.

I have green eyes.

I have another color of eyes.

Materials and Equipment:

Paper, pen, computer and a spreadsheet program such as MS EXCEL.

Results of Experiment (Observation):

A collection of completed questionnaires will serve as the result of your experiments.

Enter the results in a table in a way that one row will be used for each participant and each
column represents one answer. Use letters for answers. For example A for first choice, B for
second choice, .... So, for question number 3, A means male and B means female.

Following is a sample table. Your actual results table will have more columns and more
rows.
Test Ethnic
Ancestry Gender Toes Fingers Ears
Subject Background
1 A B
2
3
...
...

Using the data in the above table, you can compile a series of other tables that show the
percentage of each attribute in each ethnic background. In such tables the independent
variable (race or ethnic background) may be in rows and the rate of people in each attribute
(dependent variable) will be in columns.

You will need a separate table for each attribute. To do that enter the data in a spreadsheet
program (like Excel) and then sort the table based on different columns to help you analyze
the results. Find out what percentage of each race have certain characteristic.

Following is a sample table for Eye color.

Rate of certain eye colors in different ethnic groups.

Ethnic
Brown eyes Blue eyes Green eyes Other eyes
Background
White 20%
Black/African
American
American
Indian, Eskimo,
or Aleut
Asian
Pacific
Islander
Hispanic
Multiracial

See the calculation section to find out how the 20% in the above table is calculated.

For each characteristic you will have one results table that shows the ratio of that
characteristic in a specific ethnic background. Use these ratios to draw a conclusion. Your
conclusion may indicate which characteristics are hereditary.

Calculations:
You need to calculate the rate of population in each race with certain characteristic. To do
that you divide the number of matching subjects for a certain characteristic by the total
number of subjects for each race.

For example after sorting the first results table based on ethnic background, all "A"s will be
next to each other and you can easily count them. So if 15 of your subjects are white, you
will have 15 "A"s in the ethnic background column next to each other. Count the number of
Brown eyes where the ethnic background is "A". Divide that by 15 (total number of
whites) to find out the rate of brown eyes in white people. If you have 3 brown eyes, then
3/15=0.20. So 20% of white people have brown eyes.

You must repeat such calculation for each characteristic of each ethnic group.

Summary of Results:
Summarize what happened. This can be in the form of a table of processed numerical data,
or graphs. It could also be a written statement of what occurred during experiments.

It is from calculations using recorded data that tables and graphs are made. Studying tables
and graphs, we can see trends that tell us how different variables cause our observations.
Based on these trends, we can draw conclusions about the system under study. These
conclusions help us confirm or deny our original hypothesis. Often, mathematical equations
can be made from graphs. These equations allow us to predict how a change will affect the
system without the need to do additional experiments. Advanced levels of experimental
science rely heavily on graphical and mathematical analysis of data. At this level, science
becomes even more interesting and powerful.

Conclusion:
Using the trends in your experimental data and your experimental observations, try to
answer your original questions. Is your hypothesis correct? Now is the time to pull together
what happened, and assess the experiments you did.

Related Questions & Answers:

What you have learned may allow you to answer other questions. Many questions are
related. Several new questions may have occurred to you while doing experiments. You may
now be able to understand or verify things that you discovered when gathering information
for the project. Questions lead to more questions, which lead to additional hypothesis that
need to be tested.

Possible Errors:
If you did not observe anything different than what happened with your control, the variable
you changed may not affect the system you are investigating. If you did not observe a
consistent, reproducible trend in your series of experimental runs there may be
experimental errors affecting your results. The first thing to check is how you are making
your measurements. Is the measurement method questionable or unreliable? Maybe you
are reading a scale incorrectly, or maybe the measuring instrument is working erratically.

If you determine that experimental errors are influencing your results, carefully rethink the
design of your experiments. Review each step of the procedure to find sources of potential
errors. If possible, have a scientist review the procedure with you. Sometimes the designer
of an experiment can miss the obvious.