Name: Morgan Matthews

Grade: 10-7

Title: Planning And Design: Photosynthesis: Factors affecting Photosynthesis.

Problem Statement: Having determine in the previous experiment that

chlorophyll is in fact needed for photosynthesis. A 10 grade student wanted to
determine if light was also necessary. She decided to investigate using one of her
mother’s potted plant that had leaves that were fully green. She could find some
alcohol and iodine in her medicine cabinet.

Hypothesis: If photosynthesis is affected by light intensity, then increasing the

light intensity will cause an increase in the rate of photosynthesis.

Aim: To determine if light is essential for photosynthesis.

Independent Variable: The presence of absence of light.

Dependent Variable: The colour change of the leaf.

Control Variable: The type of plant used.

Control Set-up: The leaf that was used as a comparison or bench mark.

Material and Apparatus: Potted plant, alcohol, iodine, stove, pot, forceps, water,
aluminum foil, glass cup.

Procedure: 1. On a potted plant, cover a leaf with foil and keep it in a dark place
for 2-3 days so that the leaves get destarch.

2. Pick the covered leaf and an uncovered leaf. Boil both leaves for
about 5 minutes in a pot of boiling water on the stove.

3. Turn off the burner and remove the leaves and place them in a
glass cup and cover them in alcohol.

4. Put the glass cup in a pot of hot water(do not turn on the burner on
stove) and allow the leaves to soak as this removes the chlorophyll.
 5. Remove the leaves from the alcohol and wash it under running
water.

6. Place both leaves in a dish and put a few drops of iodine solution on
them and observe the colour change of both leaves.

Precautions: 1.The leaf was covered with foil properly to prevent the entry of
light.

2. The burner must be turned off when adding alcohol to prevent a

fire from happening.

Limitations: 1. Boiling the leaf in alcohol should have been done in a water bath.

2. Time may have elapse when the leaves were boiling.

Expected Results: After carrying out the experiment it is expected that the
uncovered leaf will change to a blue-black colour while the covered leaf will
change to a yellow-brown colour. This is expected to happen because the leaf
that was covered in aluminum foil did not receive light so photosynthesis did not
occur, hence no starch was produced. While the uncovered leaf received light and
starch was formed due to photosynthesis.