Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Hello, I was thinking about conducting an experiment looking at how ethylene has a different effect on bananas and potatoes. When researching, I found out that ethylene quickens the browning process of bananas, but with potatoes it slows down the growing of sprouts. I started with an idea of comparing the browning of bananas with apples, bananas without apples, potatoes with apples, and potatoes without apples in order to see the different effect ethylene has on bananas and potatoes. I want to make this experiment more unique, do you have any ideas? Thank you!

Hello!

This project sounds super cool! I love the creativity.

Some ideas I have for making this project more unique include...
-use different quantities of apples to see how that may affect the bananas and potatoes
-conduct the experiments in various temperatures to see if temperature has an effect
-use different types of bananas or potatoes to see if they are affected differently by ethylene
-test the effect of cut apples in comparison to whole apples


As with any science experiment, make sure your trials are as consistent and even as possible. You'll want to find apples/potatoes/bananas that are very similar in size, set a specific duration for the trials, and keep other details constant!

I hope this gives you a couple new ideas. Let us know if you have any other questions or if you need clarification!
Emma