10 20 variables that may affect seed germination

Introduction to ScienceExperiment 1Design An Experiment Experiment Inventory

Materials 100 Beans

(10) 5 x 8 in. Bags

Permanent Marker

Masking Tape

*Paper Towels

*Water

Note: You must provide the materials listed in *red.

EXPERIMENT 1: DESIGN AN EXPERIMENT

The following experiment is to be designed by you with the beans provided in the kit. You will design and execute the experiment to test factors that influence seed germination. Whatever your experimental design, be sure to include controls, both positive and negative, and make sure it is reproducible!

NOTES ABOUT BEAN GERMINATION

• The time to germinate will decrease if you soak the beans overnight before beginning the experiment.

• It may take 7 - 10 days for the beans to “sprout.”

• Make sure the paper towels remain moist for the duration of your experiment.

PROCEDURE

1. Identify 10 – 20 variables that may affect seed germination. Record the variables in Table 5.

2. From your list of variables, select one to test. Form a hypothesis regarding why this variable affects seed germination.

3. Determine the positive and negative controls for your experiment.

4. To germinate the beans, place one folded paper towel into the 5 x 8 in. plastic bag. The paper towel should be moist-

ened, but not soaking wet. Place ten beans in a horizontal line on each enclosed paper towel. Then, seal the bag com-

pletely.

5. Prepare three bags of beans for each condition (positive control, negative control, variable).

6. Use masking tape to hang each bag in the environment you select.

7. Collect data, and then create a table, including title, units, and any other useful information.

8. Select the appropriate type of graph, and report the data you collected.

9. Write a lab report for this experiment.

© eScience Labs, 2016

Data SheetExperiment 1 Data Sheet Table 5: Experiment Variables

Variables