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A student investigated the effect of root space on plant growth. The student grew two groups of plants of the same variety. Both groups received the same amount of water and sunlight and grew in the same type of soil. The plants in Group A were grown in cube-shaped containers that were 3 centimeters deep. The plants in Group B were grown in cube-shaped containers that were 10 centimeters deep. The table shows the student's observations

Week Plant Group A (Average Height, cm) Plant Group B (Average Height, cm)
1 2 3
2 3 6
3 5 8
4 7 10
5 8 14
6 10 18
What was the effect of root space on plant growth based on the student's investigation? Use the data from the table to support your answer. Explain how you would know whether this effect was likely due to environmental or genetic factors.
and make it like a 7 grader made it

3 answers

Based on the student's investigation, it seems that the amount of root space has a significant effect on plant growth. The data shows that the plants in Group B, which had 10 centimeters of root space, were taller on average than the plants in Group A, which had only 3 centimeters of root space.

Here's a look at the average heights from the table:

  • In Week 1, Group A was 2 cm tall, while Group B was 3 cm tall.
  • By Week 2, Group A grew to 3 cm, whereas Group B reached 6 cm.
  • In Week 3, Group A was 5 cm and Group B was 8 cm.
  • In Week 4, Group A reached 7 cm, but Group B was at 10 cm.
  • By Week 5, Group A was 8 cm tall, and Group B grew to 14 cm.
  • Finally, in Week 6, Group A measured 10 cm tall, while Group B was 18 cm.

Looking at the averages, we can see that Group B (the plants in deeper containers) consistently grew taller than Group A. By Week 6, Group B was 8 cm taller than Group A! This suggests that having more root space allowed Group B's plants to grow better.

To determine whether this effect was likely due to environmental or genetic factors, we need to consider how the plants were grown. Since both groups received the same amount of water, sunlight, and were in the same type of soil, environmental factors were kept equal. This means we can focus on root space as the main variable that affected growth.

If the plants were of the same variety and received the same care, it is likely that the difference in height mainly came from the depth of the containers. Plants with more room for their roots can access more nutrients and water from the soil. In this case, since the only major difference was the root space, we can conclude that the increased growth in Group B was due to having more root space rather than genetic factors.

In summary, the student's investigation shows that root space has a positive effect on plant growth, as seen in the taller plants in Group B compared to Group A. The controlled environmental conditions also suggest that the results stem from the different root spaces rather than genetic differences.

Two sentences

The investigation showed that plants with more root space (in Group B) grew taller than those with less root space (in Group A), indicating that root depth positively affects plant growth. Since both groups had the same environmental conditions, the difference in growth is likely due to the larger root space rather than genetic factors.