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Global Warming Science Fair Project

Carbon Dioxide and Seedling Growth

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Carbon Dioxide and Seedling Growth | Science Fair Projects | STEM Projects
Does extra carbon dioxide make a plant grow faster? You place sprouted seedlings inside upside-down soda bottles to create mini atmospheres. In one bottle you add baking soda and vinegar to release carbon dioxide. The other bottle has no added gas and serves as the control. Each day you measure both plants through the plastic. After five days you graph the heights to see whether the extra gas made a difference.

Hypothesis

The hypothesis is that plants will grow faster in a carbon dioxide-rich environment.

Method & Materials

You will make your own carbon dioxide by combining baking soda and vinegar, and measure the growth of plants in the two environments.
You will need potting soil, two two-liter soda bottles with the tops cut off, four peat cups with seeds already germinated, two shallow dishes or paper cups cut in half, baking soda, white vinegar, a scale, a graduated cylinder, a thermometer, and a ruler.

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Results

The experiment showed that plants grew faster in the carbon dioxide-rich environment than in the normal environment. The temperature was also higher in the carbon dioxide-rich environment.

Why do this project?

This science project is interesting because it shows how plants can use carbon dioxide to grow faster, and how global warming can affect plant growth.

Also Consider

Variations of this experiment could include testing different amounts of carbon dioxide or different types of plants.

Full project details

Additional information and source material for this project are available below.

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