Question

Many farmers and gardeners compost their plant and animal waste. The living material naturally decays in compost bins, forming a dirt-like substance that’s rich in nutrients. The next season, farmers use this substance as a natural fertilizer for their crops. A biology student has grown tomato plants for several years. Until now, he used an artificial fertilizer formulated for tomato plants. This fertilizer caused his plants to grow faster and taller than they grew in unfertilized soil. The student wants to know whether using natural compost will cause his tomato plants to grow faster and taller than his artificial fertilizer. Answer the following questions to plan an investigation using the steps of the scientific method and help the student find the answer to his question. part g

Answer 1

hey!!

Conduct Background Research: The student should gather information on the benefits and drawbacks of using compost as a natural fertilizer, as well as the effects of artificial fertilizer on plant growth. This research will provide a foundation for designing the experiment.

Formulate a Hypothesis: Based on the research, the student should develop a hypothesis that predicts the outcome of the investigation. For example, the hypothesis could be: "Using natural compost as a fertilizer will result in tomato plants growing faster and taller compared to using artificial fertilizer."

Design and Conduct the Experiment:

a. Variables: Identify and control the variables in the experiment. The independent variable is the type of fertilizer (compost or artificial), while the dependent variables are the growth rate and height of the tomato plants.

b. Experimental Groups: Divide the tomato plants into two groups. One group will be treated with natural compost, and the other group will be treated with artificial fertilizer.

c. Control Group: It's important to have a control group that receives no fertilizer to serve as a baseline for comparison.

d. Randomization: Randomly assign the tomato plants to the different treatment groups to minimize bias.

e. Replication: To ensure the reliability of the results, have multiple plants in each treatment group and repeat the experiment several times.

f. Measurement: Regularly measure the growth rate and height of the tomato plants in each group. Use standardized procedures and tools for accurate measurements.

Analyze the Data: Collect and analyze the data obtained from the experiment. Compare the growth rate and height of tomato plants treated with natural compost, artificial fertilizer, and the control group. Use appropriate statistical analysis to determine if there are significant differences between the groups.

Draw Conclusions: Based on the data analysis, evaluate whether the hypothesis is supported or not. Determine if the tomato plants treated with natural compost grew faster and taller compared to those treated with artificial fertilizer or the control group.

hi again i hope this answered your question :)