Environmental Influence on
Photosynthesis
A group of students wanted to test some of the variables they
thought would affect plant growth. They thought that the wavelength
of light and the intensity of the light would affect plant growth.
Below are their results.
Conditions
Plant Growth
Red light, 100 W bulb
2.0 cm
White light, 40 W bulb
1.5 cm
Blue light, 60 W bulb
1.0 cm
From these results they concluded that red light and high
wattage bulbs are the best for plant growth. Their experiment has a
couple of major flaws.
1. Identify these flaws and design a
better experiment. Be sure to use the following terms in your
experimental design: control, controlled variable, dependent
variable, independent variable.