The Effect of Cobalt 60 Radiation on the Wisconsin Fast Plant Development
School Name
Heathwood Hall Episcopal School
Grade Level
10th Grade
Presentation Topic
Botany
Presentation Type
Non-Mentored
Abstract
The purpose of this experiment was to compare the effectiveness of varying levels of Cobalt 60 radiation exposure with respect to the height, leaf and flower number of Wisconsin Fast Plants. Seeds with varying levels of Cobalt 60 radiation exposure were planted, with 25 plants per trial. The growth of the plants was measured throughout the experiment by recording the height of the plants and the number of leaves and flowers per plant. The data was then recorded comparing the individual plant's measurements by day and per trial in order to get rid of any outliers. The results showed that through the procedure used, the more exposure a seed has had to Cobalt 60 radiation, which is the independent variable, the less likely the seed will germinate and continue to grow healthily, or at all, which is the dependent variable. The seeds with the highest radiation exposure levels had low germination rates, and those that did germinate had major stunts in their growth. This relationship indicates that the researcher's hypothesis "if the Wisconsin Fast plant seed is subject to increasing levels of cobalt 60 radiation, then the plant's development will be increasingly negatively impacted as the exposure increases," was supported by the data. The null hypothesis, "a Wisconsin Fast Plant seed that is subject to cobalt 60 radiation will not have an effect on the plant's development," was not supported by the data.
Recommended Citation
Smith, Christina, "The Effect of Cobalt 60 Radiation on the Wisconsin Fast Plant Development" (2020). South Carolina Junior Academy of Science. 215.
https://scholarexchange.furman.edu/scjas/2020/all/215
Location
Furman Hall 106
Start Date
3-28-2020 10:15 AM
Presentation Format
Oral and Written
Group Project
No
The Effect of Cobalt 60 Radiation on the Wisconsin Fast Plant Development
Furman Hall 106
The purpose of this experiment was to compare the effectiveness of varying levels of Cobalt 60 radiation exposure with respect to the height, leaf and flower number of Wisconsin Fast Plants. Seeds with varying levels of Cobalt 60 radiation exposure were planted, with 25 plants per trial. The growth of the plants was measured throughout the experiment by recording the height of the plants and the number of leaves and flowers per plant. The data was then recorded comparing the individual plant's measurements by day and per trial in order to get rid of any outliers. The results showed that through the procedure used, the more exposure a seed has had to Cobalt 60 radiation, which is the independent variable, the less likely the seed will germinate and continue to grow healthily, or at all, which is the dependent variable. The seeds with the highest radiation exposure levels had low germination rates, and those that did germinate had major stunts in their growth. This relationship indicates that the researcher's hypothesis "if the Wisconsin Fast plant seed is subject to increasing levels of cobalt 60 radiation, then the plant's development will be increasingly negatively impacted as the exposure increases," was supported by the data. The null hypothesis, "a Wisconsin Fast Plant seed that is subject to cobalt 60 radiation will not have an effect on the plant's development," was not supported by the data.
