photosynthesis

• What equipment is used to start the experiment?

  • Boiling tube
  • LED light source
  • Sodium hydrogen carbonate solution
  • Pond weed
• Why is an LED light used in the experiment?

  It releases minimal heat affecting temperature
• What should be placed between a normal light bulb and the boiling tube?

  A beaker of water
• What does sodium hydrogen carbonate solution release?

  Carbon dioxide
• What is the purpose of the pond weed in the experiment?

  To produce oxygen through photosynthesis
• How long should the pond weed acclimatize in the boiling tube?

  Five minutes
• What do we count to measure the rate of photosynthesis?

  Number of bubbles produced
• What is a problem with counting bubbles?

  Bubbles can be too fast to count accurately
• How can we solve the problem of counting bubbles?

  Measure the volume of oxygen produced
• What is the process of measuring oxygen production?

  1. Place pond weed in a formal
  2. Catch bubbles in a measuring cylinder
  3. Measure the volume of oxygen produced
• What happens to the number of bubbles per minute as distance increases?

  It falls by a factor of four
• What is the inverse square law in this context?

  Doubling distance reduces light intensity by four
• How does light intensity affect the rate of photosynthesis?

  Lower light intensity reduces oxygen production
• independent variable


  distance of light