How does soil affect the ph of water

[deleted-786787]

I’m doing a project to see how the ph of soil affects the ph of water. I’m a little confused on how to form a hypothesis. I said that It depends on the soil and its ph. If the water has acidic particles and it encounters soil that has limestone and is more basic, it increases. Does this make sense? If not then how can I fix it and formulate a new hypothesis?

[DrSullivan]

Make your hypothesis a little more of a yes/no question. Such as, Does water with acidic particles become more acidic in the presence of limestone in soil? Then find out the answer, and make a new hypothesis based on that. Science is very much as step by step process.

[deleted-786787]

Thank you for responding . I’m still a little confused though. So, for my experiment I’m testing the ph of different soils. My first sample is from my backyard with a ph of 7.65. The second one is from a man-made garden with a ph of 7.04. Lastly, I got soil from a forest with a ph of 5.45. I mixed it with tap water that had a ph of 8.06. Then, after 1 hour I realized that all samples had decreased in pH. For instance, the forest soil mixed with water went down 7.63. (man made garden- 6.86 and my backyard- 6.47.) But, overtime they started to become more basic. ( 7.86). Why does the pH decrease then increase? I also wanted to know if my hypothesis was fine after you helped me. (I wrote this before the experiment). I said that the soil from the woods will have the weakest effect on the water ph because of its decomposition. This will make it the weakest acid. for my conclusion I said,Overall, my hypothesis was correct in that the forest soil had the least effect on ph. But, all of the soils were almost near the neutral range. Meaning that soil does have an effect on water ph. (7.0). This is important because water is essential when it comes to plant growth. Is this too much? What should I add instead?

[deleted-748903]

Hello there! That sounds like such a cool topic!

I think you are in a great direction as far as your hypothesis, experiment, and explanation go. Could you answer this for me: How exactly are you testing the ph of the soil? I suggest measuring the pH of the water you're using and also the pH of the soil beforehand, then letting a lot of water soak into the soil (Drench until the soil physically cannot absorb water anymore), place the soaking soil into a strainer or filter paper, and get the most water out of your sample as possible, as a sort of filtration system, then dunking pH strips into that new solution.
I really like your question, however, I have a suggestion: You should try and find out what pH is best for plants and compare the pH of rainwater and soil and the pH of normal household water with soil to see which one is "healthiest" for the plants, if that makes sense, to relate it more to the real world.

I suggest you dive deep into some literature so you can develop a super awesome explanation section, where you can tie the results of your experiment to the real-world application. Here are some websites I recommend looking into, you might find some cool info that you can use!
https://www.esf.edu/pubprog/brochure/soilph/soilph.htm

Also, try to learn as much as you can about pH in general! This will make for an incredible background section for your project, and if you plan on presenting this, the judges or your teacher will be blown away at your science knowledge, and you'll have a much better idea about what exactly is going on or happening when you say "the pH changed". You should include words like "Acidic" and "Basic/Alkaline" to improve your project.
https://www.thoughtco.com/definition-of ... try-604605

Your hypothesis and explanation are looking great, awesome job! All I can say is that you should look into the links I've provided and other than that, you've got a pretty cool project to look forward to presenting!!

Let me know if you need help reading any of the sources or have any additional questions.

Stay nerdy!
lmp1341

[deleted-748903]

Oh! And another super important thing: try to say that your hypothesis was "supported" and not that it's correct or proved.
Here's a link from the Science Buddies website explaining how to write up your science fair:
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... hypothesis   

The main takeaway from this one is that the point of a science project is not to prove your hypothesis right. Scientists never talk about their hypothesis being "right" or "wrong." Instead, they say that their data "supports" or "does not support" their hypothesis.

Also, if you explore this link, you'll find some awesome resources to help out with every part of the science fair, from writing it up, to hypothesizing, to discussing, etc.
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... ience-fair

Let me know if these work for you!

lmp1341

[MadelineB]

Hi Softanddry,

I've merged your recent post with your original post on this topic. Please keep your posts together so the experts who have been helping you can easily see when you post a follow-up question. Thanks!

Madeline
Moderator

[deleted-786787]

Thank you so much Imp1341!
I measured everything before I mixed the soil and water together. Is it ok for me to say that I needed to measure which ph is best for plants in my conclusion and say that this what I should’ve done to improve my experiment and relate it to the outside world?

[deleted-786787]

Hello! I’m sorry for my inconsistency on keeping my posts together and many questions. But hopefully this is my final one. So my conclusion is, In conclusion, my data supports my hypothesis because forest soil had least effect on pH. But, each soil at first lowered in pH and started to become more acidic. However, overtime, pH slightly became more basic and moved towards the neutral range for pH which is 7.0. For instance, the backyard soil solution was at first 6.47 the first hour. After a day it became more basic and had a pH of 6.83. Finally after 3 days it had a ph of 7.09. The man-made garden soil and water solution was 6.77, then 6.53, lastly 6.86. The forest soil was at first 7.68, 7.05, then 7.18 making it the independent variable with the lowest effect on ph. Furthermore, I could’ve improved this experiment by seeing what water ph like rainwater or tap water pH is best for plants and plant growth. Is this correct or is it way too much? Thank you and I’m sorry again.

[MadelineB]

Hi Softanddry,

I've merged this post with your others so the expert who has been helping you will get a message from our system that you have posted a follow-up question!

Please do not worry about asking too many questions! I think there is no such thing as "too many questions" here at Science Buddies! Asking questions is how you learn! Best of luck with your project!

Madeline
Moderator

[deleted-786787]

Why and how does water ph change when it comes in contact with water?

[deleted-748903]

Hi!

Your idea about the conclusion sounds great; I would definitely include that in your writeup.
As far as your last question goes, I would take some time to read through the links I sent you earlier in order to gain a better understanding of pH and what exactly it is/does.
Is there anything more specific you're having trouble with?
Sounds like you're doing great!

Hope this helps,
lmp1341

[deleted-748903]

Your conclusion looks awesome! Be sure to add some of that background research into there to show that you have a full understanding of pH and how it works, but it looks great otherwise.