Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Harmful or Helpful? The Effects of Hydrogen Peroxide on the Roots of Plant Cuttings & on Seed Germination
Project due Dec. 1 First time using Science Buddies
I found topic with my daughter on science buddies: Seems interesting to my daughter
I need help from scratch with background information, catchy title, different sources to use besides the internet.
Also need cost effective ways to get all supplies for the project that we don't usually have like that sand,graduated cyclinder, seeds, cuttings.
Any & all help is appreciated. Thank you.

Materials for Both Experiments

(H2O2) (1 32-oz. bottle, or 2 16-oz. bottles)
Water
Lab notebook
Graph paper
Permanent marker
Masking tape (1 roll)
Paper towels (1 roll)

Materials for Seed Experimentation

Graduated cylinder, 250-mL; available at science supply stores, such as Carolina Biological: www.carolina.com product #721614 or a teaspoon measuring spoon and measuring cup
Bowls (4)
Sealable sandwich baggies (4 for each type of seed you are testing)
Seeds from a crop, such as mung beans, broccoli, bok choy, black-eyed beans, garbanzo beans. You can choose how many types of crops you want to test (it is OK to test just one), but you'll need a total of 40 seeds for each type of crop you test.
Spoon

Materials for Plant Cutting Roots Experimentation

Cuttings from one or more varieties of houseplants, such as jade, ivy, coleus, donkey-tail, etc. You can choose how many varieties of plants you want to test (it is OK to test just one), but you'll need a total of 12 cuttings per plant variety you test. Note: Do not make the cuttings until you are ready to pot them. See the Experimental Procedure, below, for more details.
Plant containers
Make sure all containers are waterproof.
If you use containers that are at least 5-6 inches wide, you can plant 3 cuttings in each one, so you will only need 4 containers per type of plant you want to test.
If you have smaller containers, you'll need to plant each cutting in its own container; a total of 12 containers per type of plant you want to test.
Coarse sand; available at garden supply stores and often called horticultural sand. Note: Do not use fine sand like art or playground sand; only coarse sand will allow enough oxygen to reach the plant cuttings' roots. Buy enough sand to fill all of your containers; the exact quantity depends on the number and size of the containers you will use.
Hydrogen peroxide, available at drug stores (1 bottle).
Oven-proof container, like a casserole dish or baking pan
Oven mitts
Knife (to make cuttings)
Butter knife, skewer, or similar object
Sealable plastic baggies, size and number depends on the size and number of containers you selected
Rubber bands, number depends on the number of the containers you will use
Paper
Pen or pencil
Ruler
Experimental

Hi,

Glad your daughter found a topic she liked. Have you read the Science Buddies' Project Guide? It addresses how to find background information and come up with a title, as well as many other useful items. In terms of background information, if your daughter cannot use internet sources, I would suggest visiting your local library (a university library would be most helpful) and speaking with a librarian.

I'm not sure what the cheapest way to get materials would be. I often see what the cheapest version of the item I want on froogle is, but after you add shipping and handling, the cost difference often disappears. As for the cuttings and sand and things, do you have any greenhouses or botanical gardens nearby? You might be able to speak to someone and ask if they would be willing to help out with a science fair project, but my guess is that you will have to buy everything from a garden supply store.

Anyway, read through the project guide and see if that helps.

thankyou

Dear Expert,
I am doing a science fair project where i am testing the effects of oil on marine plankton. I am having a hard time trying to find a way to measure the productivity of the plankton. Do you have any sugestions of tools i can use or ways i may be able to measure it. I am also not sure about what kind of plankton i should me using (zooplankton or phytoplankton).
spsherry

Hi!
I think that they are various ways of measuring productivity of plankton. A link that might be helpful is this online book:

http://books.google.com/books?id=rTgrAA ... &q&f=false

I think that in terms of which type of plankton to use, it depends on what you would like to focus on more in your project based on the individual characteristics of each type. This website gives a very brief overview on the differences.

http://www.ehow.com/about_5432413_zoopl ... nkton.html

Hope this helps, good luck!