Question

Asher notices mold on all twenty pea plants in his garden. He wonders what factors are contributing to the mold growth. He hypothesizes that he is giving the plants too much water, which is causing the mold to grow. Asher carries out an investigation in which he waters ten of the plants the same amount as before and gives the other ten plants half as much water per day. Each week, he photographs and records the number of leaves that contain mold. After a month, he observes his data and concludes that there has been little to no change in mold growth. What change to this experiment would be most effective in helping Asher continue to investigate his original question? He could change the dependent variable to “amount of shade” and set up shade umbrellas over ten of the plants. He could change the independent variable to “amount of sunlight” and trim taller plants nearby so ten of the plants are no longer shaded. He could add more controls so there is less chance that other factors are contributing to the mold growth. He could change the timing of data collection so he is recording observations every two days for two full months.

Answer 1

B. He could change the independent variable to “amount of sunlight” and trim taller plants nearby so ten of the plants are no longer shaded.

Answer 2

Answer: He could change the independent variable to “amount of sunlight” and trim taller plants nearby so ten of the plants are no longer shaded

Explanation: Mold that occurs on the leaves of plants but also on the soil where the plants grow are harmful both to the plants themselves and to the humans that such plants bring into the body, i.e eat them. The reason for the appearance of mold on plants and soil can be generally poor maintenance, i.e cultivation of plants, giving plants too much water, as well as lack of sunlight. As Asher tried with less watering on ten plants, the results are almost identical to other ten of the plants he had watered the same in the previous period, which means that he is not over-watering. This means that if it is clear that the he is maintaining the plants, and obvious it is not a bad maintenance, he should try to provide more sunlight, when offered options are in question. There is also an option i.e method to remove mold with the help of baking soda.