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Topic : Nutrition

Title: Investigating the effects of light intensity on the rate of photosynthesis. Objective : To determine the effects of light intensity on the rate of photosynthesis. Problem statement: How does light intensity affect the rate of photosynthesis? Hypothesis: The higher the light intensity, the higher the rate of photosynthesis. Variables: (i) Manipulated : Distance of Hydrilla sp. From the light source. (ii) Responding : Number of gas bubbles that are released in five minutes (rate of photosynthesis) (iii) Fixed : Type of plant, Temperature of water, percentage of sodium hydrogen carbonate solution and voltage bulb. Material and Apparatus: A few springs of Hydrilla sp., 1% sodium hydrogen carbonate solution, distilled water, 60 W bulb, 500 ml beaker, a boiling tube, a stopwatch, a thermometer, a metre rule, sharp razor, and glass rod. Technique: Count the number of gas bubbles released in five minutes. Record the time with a stopwatch. Procedure: 1. 2. 3. Pour water into the 500 ml beaker and maintain the temperature of water at 28 C. Insert 0.2% sodium hydrogen carbonate solution into a clean boiling tube. Make a clean oblique cut by cutting the lower end of the Hydrilla sp. stem under water using a sharp razor. (Cut the end of the stem several times until gas bubbles emerge rapidly.) 4. Place the aquatic plant with the bubbling end upwards inside the boiling tube contains 0.2 % sodium hydrogen carbonate solution. 5. 6. Place the apparatus at a distance of 50 cm from the light source. Count the number of gas bubbles released in five minutes E1PP1.7

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after the plant releases bubbles at a constant rate. 7. Repeat the step 6 by placing the apparatus at different distances, that is, at 40 cm, 30 cm, 20 cm, and 10 cm from the light source. 8. 9. Tabulate the results in the table below. Plot a graph of the number of gas bubbles released in one minute against the distance from the light source. Teachers signature: .. Results: Distance from the light source (cm) Number of gas bubbles released in five minutes E3PP1.1 E3PP1.2 Graph: E4PP1 Discussion : E4PP2 1. Explain how you control all the variables in this experiment. 2. Why is sodium hydrogen carbonate solution used instead of distilled water? 3. How do you measure the rate of photosynthesis in Hydrilla sp.? 4. What do the following represent? 5. Based on the graph, what inference can you make about the effect of light intensity on the rate of photosynthesis? 10 20 30 40 50

Conclusion : E4PP3

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