Valeria Bojórquez Jauregui
Class 56
How Light Affects Plant Growth
St Patrick’s school
(2024-2025)
Topic Overview:
Plants are living organisms that use sunlight to make their own food in a
process called photosynthesis. Through photosynthesis, plants turn
sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water into glucose (sugar) and oxygen.
Plants are a very important part of ecosystems because they provide
oxygen, food, and shelter to other organisms.
This experiment is about how the amount of light a plant receives affects
how tall it grows. Since light is a key part of photosynthesis, this will help
us see how light helps plants grow.
Purpose of the Experiment:
The goal of this experiment is to see how different amounts of light
affect how much a plant grows. We want to see if a plant grows taller
with more light or if it grows less with low light.
This is important because photosynthesis allows plants to make their
own food and grow. Plants also play a big role in the carbon cycle by
taking in carbon dioxide from the air. If we understand how light affects
plant growth, we can learn how to grow plants better.
Our results could help gardeners, farmers, or even people growing food
indoors with artificial light.
Relevant Vocabulary
-Photosynthesis: how plants use sunlight to make food.
-Chlorophyll: green pigment in plants that captures light.
-Phototropism: how plants grow toward light.
Previous Knowledge:
Previous research shows that plants usually grow faster and healthier
when they get more light. When they don’t get enough light, they may
grow slowly or lean toward the light (Taiz & Zeiger, 2010).
Research Question:
How does the amount of light affect the height of a plant?
- Hypothesis:
If a plant gets more light, then it will grow taller because more light
allows more photosynthesis.
- Variables:
-Independent Variable: amount of light (full light, partial light, no light)
-Dependent Variable: height of the plant (measured in cm)
-Controlled Variables: type of plant, amount of water, type of soil, size of
pot, temperature
- Controls:
All plants were the same type and size, watered equally, and kept in the
same temperature and soil. The only thing we changed was the amount
of light they received.
- Uncontrolled Variables:
Some possible things that could affect the experiment include:
* Uneven sunlight during the day
* Temperature changes in the room
* Slight differences in seed health
These things are important because they could make one plant grow
better or worse than others, even if we try to keep everything else the
same.
-Materials Needed
-Nonliving Materials: pots, soil, ruler, water, lamp (for artificial light),
timer
-Living Materials: plant seeds (same type)
- Procedure
1. Plant seeds in identical pots with the same amount of soil.
2. Place the pots in three groups: one in full light, one in partial light, and
one in darkness.
3. Water the plants the same amount each day.
4. Measure the height of each plant every 3 days for 3 weeks.
- Safety Notes
* Handle soil and water carefully to avoid spills.
* If using lamps, be careful with electricity.
Data Collection & Processing
Qualitative Data:
* Plants in the dark became pale and thin.
* Plants in full light looked green and strong.
Quantitative Data:
| Light Condition | Plant Height (cm) after 3 weeks |
| --------------- | ------------------------------- |
| Full Light | 24 cm |
| Partial Light | 15 cm |
| No Light | 5 cm |
- Errors and Uncertainties
* Not all seeds may have started growing at the same time.
* Room temperature may have changed slightly.
* Light might not have been exactly the same each day.
Graph
-Interpretation of the Graph:
The graph shows that plants with more light grew much taller. Plants in
no light barely grew. This means light is very important for growth.
- Analysis & Conclusion:
The purpose of the experiment was to see how light affects plant height.
The hypothesis was supported: more light helped the plants grow taller.
The plant with full light grew the most because it could do more
photosynthesis. This supports what we know about plant biology and
shows why light is necessary for healthy growth.
- Evaluation
Some things that could be better:
* Use more plants to get better averages
* Use a light meter to measure exact light levels
* Keep temperature even with a thermometer
References (APA Style)
* Raven, P. H., Evert, R. F., & Eichhorn, S. E. (2014). *Biology of Plants*
(8th ed.). W. H. Freeman.
* Taiz, L., & Zeiger, E. (2010). *Plant Physiology* (5th ed.). Sinauer
Associates.
* Campbell, N. A., & Reece, J. B. (2008). *Biology* (8th ed.). Pearson.
*
[https://www.britannica.com/science/photosynthesis](https://www.britann
ica.com/science/photosynthesis)
