Experiment to test whether light intensity affects the rate of photosynthesis.
Introduction: Photosynthesis is the process by which green plants and certain other organisms transform light energy into chemical energy. During photosynthesis in green plants, light energy is captured and used to convert water, carbon dioxide, and minerals into oxygen, sugar and other, energy-rich, organic compounds. Photosynthesis can be indicated by the following equations:
Carbon Dioxide + Water Sugar + Oxygen
CO2 + H2O C6H 12O 6 + O 2
Or:
Light
CO2 + 2H2O (CH 2O) + O 2 + H2O
Green plants
Photosynthesis is incredibly important in the maintenance of life on Earth. If photosynthesis ceased, there would soon be little food or other organic matter on Earth. Most organisms would disappear, and in time the Earth's atmosphere would become nearly empty of the gas oxygen. The only organisms able to exist under such conditions would be the chemosynthetic bacteria, which can apply the chemical energy of certain inorganic compounds and thus are not dependent on the conversion of light energy.
The rate of photosynthesis is defined in terms of the rate of oxygen production either per unit mass (or area) of green plant tissues or per unit weight of total chlorophyll. In this case we are measuring the amount of gas collected in the syringe in milliliters (ml). The amount of light, the carbon dioxide supply, the temperature, the water supply, and the availability of minerals are the most important environmental factors that directly affect the rate of photosynthesis in land plants. In this experiment we are only going to test the rate of photosynthesis over the amount of light. The rate of photosynthesis also is determined by the plant species and its physiological state, e.g., its health, its maturity, and whether or not it is in flower.
Introduction: Photosynthesis is the process by which green plants and certain other organisms transform light energy into chemical energy. During photosynthesis in green plants, light energy is captured and used to convert water, carbon dioxide, and minerals into oxygen, sugar and other, energy-rich, organic compounds. Photosynthesis can be indicated by the following equations:
Carbon Dioxide + Water Sugar + Oxygen
CO2 + H2O C6H 12O 6 + O 2
Or:
Light
CO2 + 2H2O (CH 2O) + O 2 + H2O
Green plants
Photosynthesis is incredibly important in the maintenance of life on Earth. If photosynthesis ceased, there would soon be little food or other organic matter on Earth. Most organisms would disappear, and in time the Earth's atmosphere would become nearly empty of the gas oxygen. The only organisms able to exist under such conditions would be the chemosynthetic bacteria, which can apply the chemical energy of certain inorganic compounds and thus are not dependent on the conversion of light energy.
The rate of photosynthesis is defined in terms of the rate of oxygen production either per unit mass (or area) of green plant tissues or per unit weight of total chlorophyll. In this case we are measuring the amount of gas collected in the syringe in milliliters (ml). The amount of light, the carbon dioxide supply, the temperature, the water supply, and the availability of minerals are the most important environmental factors that directly affect the rate of photosynthesis in land plants. In this experiment we are only going to test the rate of photosynthesis over the amount of light. The rate of photosynthesis also is determined by the plant species and its physiological state, e.g., its health, its maturity, and whether or not it is in flower.
