Photosynthesis Lab - Hour 3 by Jeremy Mohn https://padlet.com/jmohn/488fv3qq1g27 Group 8 - Direction of Incoming Light en-us 2016-10-15 20:26:35 UTC 2025-10-03 02:27:59 UTC hello@padlet.com http://d20uo2axdbh83k.cloudfront.net/20141020/47034972b1207c3982eed5f412f5322b.gif Graph jmohn https://padlet.com/jmohn/488fv3qq1g27/wish/130935608 2016-10-15 20:26:35 UTC https://padlet.com/jmohn/488fv3qq1g27/wish/130935608 Hypothesis/Prediction jmohn https://padlet.com/jmohn/488fv3qq1g27/wish/130935609 Hypothesis: The less direct the direction of incoming light (coming from the sides instead of from above), the less efficient the photosynthetic rate will be.

Prediction: If the direction of the incoming light is coming from the top and bottom, then the photosynthetic rate, estimated time it takes for 50% of leaves to rise, will increase.
]]> 2016-10-15 20:26:35 UTC https://padlet.com/jmohn/488fv3qq1g27/wish/130935609 Results jmohn https://padlet.com/jmohn/488fv3qq1g27/wish/130935610 It took 351 seconds for half of the leaf chads to rise to the top for the control group, 267 seconds for the group with a light on the top and bottom, and 386 seconds for the group with a light on either side. The results suggest that photosynthesis occurs at the fastest rate when the light is the most direct (lights on top and bottom), as opposed to when the light is angled on to the plant. ]]> 2016-10-15 20:26:35 UTC https://padlet.com/jmohn/488fv3qq1g27/wish/130935610 Conclusion jmohn https://padlet.com/jmohn/488fv3qq1g27/wish/130935611 The scientist's hypothesis was confirmed, as the rate at which half of the leaf chads rose to the top of the water was the lowest for the group with a direct light above and below the chads.  This is likely because the light reactions stage of photosynthesis converts light energy into chemical energy that can be used to make sugar for the plant. Another possible explanation is the light warmed the leaf chads, making the enzymes involved with photosynthesis work in a more efficient manner. The independent variable was the direction of incoming light. The dependent variable as the amount of time it took for half of the leaf chads to rise to the surface.
This observation is important as it adds to the current understanding of the process of photosynthesis. Agricultural scientists can make use of this information by making their plants more efficient with the way they are exposed to light. This experiment suggests plants could be exposed to a more direct light and see their photosynthetic efficiency rise, which is important for life on this planet.
Several sources of error could have affected the experiment. First, the carbon dioxide solution and therefore the leaf chads were likely heated up by the direct light above and below the container, which adds a variable of temperature to the experiment. This increase in temperature would make the enzymes involved with photosynthesis work at a more efficient rate, and therefore would skew the results. Another source of error is the low amount of leaf chads used to experiment. This leads to the estimated time for half of them to rise to be more randomized than it should be, and would make the results unreliable. Scientists in the future should repeat the experiment with much more leaf chads to observe a more reliable pool of data. Scientists could also repeat the experiment testing different variables, such as air density, humidity, temperature, and so on. This would only add to the understanding of photosynthesis and photosynthetic processes. ]]> 2016-10-15 20:26:35 UTC https://padlet.com/jmohn/488fv3qq1g27/wish/130935611 Research Question jmohn https://padlet.com/jmohn/488fv3qq1g27/wish/130935612
How does the direction of incoming light affect the rate of photosynthesis in spinach leaves?

]]> 2016-10-15 20:26:35 UTC https://padlet.com/jmohn/488fv3qq1g27/wish/130935612 The Effect of the Direction of Incoming Light on Photosynthesis in Spinach Leaves  aahadjian https://padlet.com/jmohn/488fv3qq1g27/wish/131503524 Names: Arman Hadjian, Cole Roatch, Jessica Russell]]> 2016-10-18 15:06:25 UTC https://padlet.com/jmohn/488fv3qq1g27/wish/131503524 Procedure https://padlet.com/jmohn/488fv3qq1g27/wish/132225932 1. Gather materials, which include: spinach leaves, hole punch, sodium bicarbonate, 2 light pads, 3 clear plastic cups, timer.
2. Pour the bicarbonate solution (to a depth of about 3 cm) into each of the clear plastic cups. 
3. Using the hole punch, cut 6 leaf disks (chads) out of a spinach leaf for each cup. 
4. Take the plunger out of the syringe and place the leaf chads inside. Then, put the plunger back in the syringe and push until only a small volume of air and leaf disk remain in the barrel. Put a small volume ( 5 cc) of solution from your prepared cups into each syringe. Tap each syringe to suspend the leaf disks in the solution. Move the plunger to get rid of excess air, then create a vacuum by placing your finger over the opening of the syringe and pull back on the plunger. Make sure to swirl the syringe, pulling the trapped air out, and repeat until the leaves sink to the bottom.
5. Pour the disks and the solution from the syringe into the appropriate clear plastic cup. 
6. For one of the cups, place a light pad on top of it and start the timer. Swirl the chads every 30 seconds and measure the estimated time it takes 50% of the disks to float.
7. Record your results. 
8. Repeat steps 6-7 with the remaining two clear plastic cups. For one of the cups, place a light pad on the top of the cup and underneath it. For the other cup, place the light pads on either side of the cup on the table. ]]> 2016-10-20 20:54:30 UTC https://padlet.com/jmohn/488fv3qq1g27/wish/132225932