Rate of photosynthesis experiment

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Stuart Green 11AK

Rate of photosynthesis experiment

Aim:

To investigate whether wavelength affects the rate of photosynthesis.

6CO2 + 6H2O light energy & chlorophyll C6H12O6 + 6O2

Variables:

Dependant Variable- Wavelength of light is to be the variable explored in this investigation. Changing the wavelength of the light source to the plant should vary the rate of photosynthesis. Light Wavelength (colour)- Light energy is absorbed by pigments in the leaf such as chlorophyll. Chlorophyll easily absorbs blue light, in the 400-450 nm range, and also easily absorbs red light in the 650-700 nm range. Chlorophyll does not absorb green light or yellow light effectively but tends to reflect them, decreasing the amount of light absorbed and decreasing the rate of photosynthesis. Why the rate of photosynthesis increases or decreased from the amount of light energy absorbed is what is being investigated in this experiment. The distance of the lamp, from the plant will be kept the same throughout the experiment.

Dependant Variables:

Carbon dioxide Concentration- CO2 concentration can affect the rate of photosynthesis since the more CO2 in the air, the more CO2 that can diffuse into the leaf. This variable can be