My project did not work?!

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heloise
Former Expert
Posts: 31
Joined: Tue Feb 07, 2012 10:13 pm
Occupation: Research associate (biologist)
Project Question: n/a
Project Due Date: n/a
Project Status: Not applicable

Re: My project did not work?!

Post by heloise »

Hello Prince 200,

First, congratulation for being persistent, and redoing the experiment with different variables!
Second, instead of looking for a correlation, maybe the question should be rephrased as: do you see any trend in your results?
One way to ask yourself this question is to try to answer for yourself the following: if you had cut a potato in 10 pieces, where approximately you you think the results would have ended on the graphs?

So maybe try to answer those questions first and get back to us with what you think.

Best,

Heloise
prince200
Posts: 12
Joined: Sun Feb 12, 2012 3:50 pm
Occupation: student 5th grade
Project Question: do potatoes regulate the formation of new roots
Project Due Date: april 2,2012
Project Status: I am finished with my experiment and analyzing the data

Re: My project did not work?!

Post by prince200 »

Hi Donna,

Thank you for replying back to me.I'm going to answer your questions.For the first graph there is a trend and for the 2 one there is a straight line.My hypothesis is that potatoes do regulate the grownth of new roots;and I did not talk about auxim in my report.Should I connect the dots when I make my graph?Do you know what proof that I have to see if my hypothesis is right?

Prince200
donnahardy2
Former Expert
Posts: 2671
Joined: Mon Nov 14, 2005 12:45 pm

Re: My project did not work?!

Post by donnahardy2 »

Hi Prince 200,

Heloise has given you some really good advice, and I think you have done an excellent job in evaluating your graphs. Yes, I would connect the dotted lines so anyone looking at the graphs can see the trends. With the potato pieces in larger pieces, there were more roots per piece of potato, and with the smaller pieces, there were less roots per piece, but about the same number total in bag.

Since your project is on plant development, you should include some information on auxins in your background information. You want the science fair judges to know that you understand the science behind your project. Auxins are plant hormones that control development, including root development. Here is the Wikipedia article
that includes some information on root growth and development:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auxin

Here is another website. You could also search for “auxin” and “root development” to find more sources:

http://www.plant-hormones.info/auxins.htm

What is the title of your project? Do you have all of the sections to include on your project board? Have you checked your teacher's written assignment to make sure you have included any special requirements? The details are important in writing up your project.

https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... oard.shtml

Let us know if you have any questions.


Donna Hardy
prince200
Posts: 12
Joined: Sun Feb 12, 2012 3:50 pm
Occupation: student 5th grade
Project Question: do potatoes regulate the formation of new roots
Project Due Date: april 2,2012
Project Status: I am finished with my experiment and analyzing the data

Re: My project did not work?!

Post by prince200 »

hi donna



is it okay if i do the project over :?:
heloise
Former Expert
Posts: 31
Joined: Tue Feb 07, 2012 10:13 pm
Occupation: Research associate (biologist)
Project Question: n/a
Project Due Date: n/a
Project Status: Not applicable

Re: My project did not work?!

Post by heloise »

Hello Prince200,

Your project was very successful! Why would you want to do it over?

Heloise
prince200
Posts: 12
Joined: Sun Feb 12, 2012 3:50 pm
Occupation: student 5th grade
Project Question: do potatoes regulate the formation of new roots
Project Due Date: april 2,2012
Project Status: I am finished with my experiment and analyzing the data

Re: My project did not work?!

Post by prince200 »

Hi Heloise

Because my mom thinks that we counted the buds wrong? Did we realy count the buds wrong :?
donnahardy2
Former Expert
Posts: 2671
Joined: Mon Nov 14, 2005 12:45 pm

Re: My project did not work?!

Post by donnahardy2 »

Hi Prince 200,

I agree with Heloise; your data looks very good and looks successful to me too. The project is due in about a week, so it's probably more important to concentrate on writing up your results than in repeating it. However, your Mom was there, so please explain why she thinks you counted wrong. Did you count the potato "eyes" that had swollen and started to sprout?

One thing you can explain to your Mom that when you do a science project, results are empirical. What that means is that there's no right or wrong answer. If you set up a carefully controlled experiment, then the results are what they are. You can't change them and you can't say that you got the wrong results. You did a good job of controlling the experiment on your second try, and the results seem reasonable. But Mom's opinion is very important, so perhaps we should discuss this before you continue.


Donna Hardy
heloise
Former Expert
Posts: 31
Joined: Tue Feb 07, 2012 10:13 pm
Occupation: Research associate (biologist)
Project Question: n/a
Project Due Date: n/a
Project Status: Not applicable

Re: My project did not work?!

Post by heloise »

Hi Prince200,

Donna's point is really true: you did an experiment and got results. The way your science project is going to be evaluated is about how you were to ask a question, set up an experiment that would provide answers to this question, and interpret your results. The results themselves are not what matters the most.
And here, you got results in your first experiment, that you can even compare to your second one. It also gives you informations on the conditions that are necessary for the potatoes to grow roots! So even this first experiment is a great way for you to demonstrate that you can use scientific reasoning by making sense out of it.
For your second experiment, as Donna asked, why do your mom think that you did not count the roots accurately?

Cheer up, so far it seems that you have everything needed for your science project!

Heloise
prince200
Posts: 12
Joined: Sun Feb 12, 2012 3:50 pm
Occupation: student 5th grade
Project Question: do potatoes regulate the formation of new roots
Project Due Date: april 2,2012
Project Status: I am finished with my experiment and analyzing the data

Re: My project did not work?!

Post by prince200 »

Hi Heloise

Thank you for the encouragement I really apprieciate it :mrgreen:; Oh! and I wrote my conclusion that the potatoes do regulate the grownth of new roots;I tallked about the auxins.I said that auxins help potatoes grow new roots,but my mom wants to know who the results prove that potatoes do regulate the grownth of new roots.

Prince200
donnahardy2
Former Expert
Posts: 2671
Joined: Mon Nov 14, 2005 12:45 pm

Re: My project did not work?!

Post by donnahardy2 »

Hi Prince 200,

Congratulations on finishing your project! It sounds like you did a really good job. Here is an explanation for you mom; I hope it will make sense to you also and help you in thinking about next year’s project.

Progress in science is made one experiment at a time. When trying to answer an unknown question, scientists will read all of the background information on the topic and look at all of the experiments that have been done before, and then design a carefully controlled experiment that will answer the new question. For your project, the information about the auxins was known from your background reading information and you verified that the potato had auxins and regulated the growth of the new sprouts. In your first experiment, something happened and the potatoes died, so microorganisms were able to grow and start to recycle the elements in the potato and you didn’t observe the effects of the auxins. In a science project, it’s important to understand the science behind your project so you can design a really good experiment.

Good luck at the science fair. Let us know what happens.

Donna Hardy
prince200
Posts: 12
Joined: Sun Feb 12, 2012 3:50 pm
Occupation: student 5th grade
Project Question: do potatoes regulate the formation of new roots
Project Due Date: april 2,2012
Project Status: I am finished with my experiment and analyzing the data

Re: My project did not work?!

Post by prince200 »

Hey Donna,

Ok,I'll post you back :D.
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