Acid rain is causing problems throughout the world. Acid rain is precipitation that has been combined with gases in the atmosphere, causing it to be slightly more acidic than normal rain. Acid rain has a PH level of about 5.0 compared to that of pure water's 7.0. Acid rain is caused uniquely by human from such harmful wastes as the burning of fossil fuels. This type of rain is carried throughout the atmosphere, for hundreds of miles, harming countryside. The real question is whether or not Acid rain effects the growth or germination of plants.
In this experiment we are testing if acid rain effects the growth or germination of common pea seeds. The independent variable in this experiment is the replica of the acid rain (or the PH level), while the dependent variable is the growth/and or germination of the pea seeds. This is a common problem in our environment today as rain continually gets more acidic.
Our hypotheses in this experiment were that the growth of the pea seeds in the experimental or acid rain setup would be far less than that of the normal or control setup. Another would be that the experimental pea seeds would germinate slower than that of the control before starting to grow.
Experimental Design-Procedure
Pour 30mL of water into a plastic cup
Add 2.5mL of vinegar (A total of 32.5mL of liquid)
This will lower PH to around 5.5 Test with PH strips to be accurate
Take one piece of paper towel and soak it into the cup containing the Acid rain solution
Add 12 Pea seeds equally spaced apart (1.3cm) onto the paper towel fold and insert into a Ziploc bag (To keep moisture from escaping)
Pour 32.5mL of water into a Plastic cup
Test the PH using strips (PH should be around 6.5)
Soak one piece of paper towel in this "PURE" water
Place 12 Pea seeds evenly spaced apart (1.3cm) onto the towel, fold and insert into a Ziploc bag (To keep moisture from escaping)
Every few days record either the germination time or the amount of growth in each