Analysis of Experiment Related To Phototropism
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You grow three plants with a light to the left of them and three plants with a light to the right of them.
The leaves of the plants with the light on the left turned toward the left and the tops of the plants grew toward the left. The leaves of the plants with the light on the right turned toward the right and the tops grew toward the right.
Does that support the hypothesis that plants respond to the light?
Help is given in these areas:
Include each step of the scientific method in the experiment.
Include an example of how you used the scientific method in everyday life.
Describe each step of the scientific method using real-life examples.
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Solution Summary
This solution critiques an experiment outline for a proposed experiment to explore phototropism. The importance of a control and the scientific method is discussed in the context of this particular experiment. This is an important reading for any biology student seeking to apply the scientific method to the study of plants and responses to stimuli. This solution is 550 words.
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The simple answer for your question is, "Yes. The observations support the hypothesis that plants respond to light."
Now, for a little more detail:
What you are testing for in this experiment is response of plants toward light, which is known as phototropism. If the plants didn't exhibit phototropism, they would simply keep growing straight up and not go to the left or right in response to the light. Of course, if they did exhibit phototropism, they would do as you describe in your observation and grow towards the light. This is an evolutionary adaptation that favors green plants that exhibit the capability of phototropism in their enhanced ability to convert more sunlight to glucose through the process of photosynthesis.
One problem with the experiment you describe is the lack of a control. There should always be a ...
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