ESS Internal Assessment: Lab Report
Aim: The aim is to measure the rate of photosynthesis of an aquatic plant (Cabomba species) at different light intensities.
Hypothesis: If the distance between the lamp and the plant increases the rate of photosynthesis decreases because the plant requires light for photosynthesis to occur.
Variables:
Independent: The independent variable for this experiment is light intensity. In each trial the distance between the plant and the lamp will be increased, from 15 cm in the first trial to 30 cm in the second and then 50 cm in the third.
Dependent: In this experiment we will measure the oxygen bubbles the plant releases into the water, per minute, to determine the rate of photosynthesis.
Constant: …show more content…
Firstly, the lamp we sued was a simple table lamp instead of UV light used to mimic sunlight. Therefore the light used was not an accurate imitation of sunlight. This may not have allowed the plant to increase it’s rate of photosynthesis to the fullest. Therefore the rates may have been lower then they would have been in the plant’s natural environment.
The second factor that may have made our experiment less accurate was the fact that the lamp was not the only source of light hitting the plant. There was general ceiling lighting in the room and a small extent of daylight falling on the plant. This can also have slightly manipulated our results, as we cannot be entirely sure if the rate of photosynthesis was solely influenced by the distance between the lamp and the plant and not by the other light sources in the room.
We did not make any measurements of the temperature of the water or discuss the effects this may have had on the rate of photosynthesis. We also knew very little about the natural environment of the Cabomba plant. Therefore our experiment was not an accurate imitation of the plant natural process of photosynthesis, as we had to apply more components such as water temperature, proper lighting
Aim: The aim is to measure the rate of photosynthesis of an aquatic plant (Cabomba species) at different light intensities.
Hypothesis: If the distance between the lamp and the plant increases the rate of photosynthesis decreases because the plant requires light for photosynthesis to occur.
Variables:
Independent: The independent variable for this experiment is light intensity. In each trial the distance between the plant and the lamp will be increased, from 15 cm in the first trial to 30 cm in the second and then 50 cm in the third.
Dependent: In this experiment we will measure the oxygen bubbles the plant releases into the water, per minute, to determine the rate of photosynthesis.
Constant: …show more content…
Firstly, the lamp we sued was a simple table lamp instead of UV light used to mimic sunlight. Therefore the light used was not an accurate imitation of sunlight. This may not have allowed the plant to increase it’s rate of photosynthesis to the fullest. Therefore the rates may have been lower then they would have been in the plant’s natural environment.
The second factor that may have made our experiment less accurate was the fact that the lamp was not the only source of light hitting the plant. There was general ceiling lighting in the room and a small extent of daylight falling on the plant. This can also have slightly manipulated our results, as we cannot be entirely sure if the rate of photosynthesis was solely influenced by the distance between the lamp and the plant and not by the other light sources in the room.
We did not make any measurements of the temperature of the water or discuss the effects this may have had on the rate of photosynthesis. We also knew very little about the natural environment of the Cabomba plant. Therefore our experiment was not an accurate imitation of the plant natural process of photosynthesis, as we had to apply more components such as water temperature, proper lighting