Photosynthesis Virtual Labs

Lab 1: Glencoe Photosynthesis Lab

Analysis Questions

1. Make a hypothesis about which color in the visible spectrum causes the most plant growth and which color in the visible spectrum causes the least plant growth?

If the color in the visible spectrum is blue or red, then the plant will grow bigger.

If the color in the visible spectrum is green, then the plant will grow the smallest.

2. How did you test your hypothesis? Which variables did you control in your experiment and which variable did you change in order to compare your growth results?

I tested my hypothesis by planting spinach in all the different lights for 30 days. Then I did the same for the radish and lettuce.In my experiment, the controlled variable was the type of plant. The variable that I changed to compare the growth was the color of the light.

Results:

Filter Color	Spinach Avg. Height (cm)	Radish Avg. Height (cm)	Lettuce Avg. Height (cm)
Red	18	12	12
Orange	16	7	5
Green	3	2	3
Blue	18	15	12
Violet	15	11	7

3. Analyze the results of your experiment. Did your data support your hypothesis? Explain. If you conducted tests with more than one type of seed, explain any differences or similarities you found among types of seeds.

My data supported my hypothesis. I predicted that the blue light and the red light would show the most plant growth and that green light would show the least amount of plant growth. I found that spinach grew best under the red light and the blue light. The radishes showed the second most amount of plant growth under red and blue light. The lettuce showed the least amount of plant growth under red and blue light compared to the spinach and the radish.

4. What conclusions can you draw about which color in the visible spectrum causes the most plant growth?

I conclude that blue light causes the most plant growth in the visible spectrum.

5. Given that white light contains all colors of the spectrum, what growth results would you expect under white light?

I would expect a normal rate of growth under white light because white light is an average of all light lengths.

Site 2: Photolab

Question: Does temperature affect the rate of photosynthesis?

Hypothesis: If the temperature of water is 10°, then the rate of photosynthesis will be slower.

Dependent variable: amount of bubbles

Independent variable: temperature

Control: water

Temperature of water (celcius)	Trial 1 (Amount of bubbles in 1 minute)	Trial 2 (Amount of bubbles in 1 minute)	Trial 3 (Amount of bubbles in 1 minute)	Average (Amount of bubbles in 1 minute)
10°	12	12	12	12
25°	38	38	38	38
40°	33	33	33	33

In this lab we asked the question, does temperature affect the rate of photosynthesis? If the temperature of the water is 25° celsius, then the rate of photosynthesis will be fastest. The amount of bubbles is the dependent variable. The independent variable is the temperature. The control is the water that the plant is in. I found that the most amount of bubbles were seen at 25° celcius. 25° celcius is 77° fahrenheit. This data supports our claim because 25° celcius is closest to room temperature. The rate of photosynthesis is fastest at room temperature.

This lab was done to demonstrate how to speed up and slow down the rate of photosynthesis. From this lab, I learned that the rate of photosynthesis can be slowed down by decreasing the temperature of the water, which helps me understand the concept of photosynthesis. Based on my experience from this lab, I now know the quickest temperature to grow plants in my garden.