Photosynthesis Leaf Disk Lab
Anthony, Cori, Max, Preston
Hypothesis
Background
CO2 + H2O + à C6H12O6 + O2 will be sped up or slowed down depending on the variables present such as colored or regular light. Students should observe how the rate of how quickly the leaf disks reach the top of the jar of water. Photosynthesis occurs when carbon dioxide and water using energy from the sun are converted into glucose and oxygen and the light energy is converted into ATP and NADPH which provides the energy the cells need to create food for the plant
Table
Graph
Conclusion
As red light was added to the experimental group, leaf disks floated to the top of the solution faster than the control and light group as a result of an increased rate of photosynthesis from the red light. An example of this quicker rate is after 7 minutes, neither the light or control group had experienced a floating disk, but when under the red light, an average of 5.3 disks had already begun to float by this point. According to researchgate.net, red light is likely most effective for photosynthesis because it has almost exactly the right amount of energy to excite chlorophyll electrons and boost them to a higher energy level, therefore increasing the speed of photosynthesis. We did not encounter very many obstacles in our experiment, but if the red light was not coming through correctly, or if it was different for any of the trials, then it could have skewed the results. A possible question that could be answered with further experimentation is how the leaf disks react with blue light in contrast to our experiment on the variable of red light. After conducting this further experimentation and research you would have a more clear idea of how the rate of photosynthesis in plants react with different types of light. In conclusion, the rate of photosynthesis will increase as a result of adding red light to the leaf disks rather than normal light.