Magnetic Radishes- The Effect of Magnetism on the Height of Radishes

Student: Avery Collins
Table: 12
Experimentation location: Home
Regulated Research (Form 1c): No
Project continuation (Form 7): No

Abstract:

Bibliography/Citations:

 

Works Cited

  • Radhakrishnan, Ramalingam. “Magnetic Field Regulates Plant Functions, Growth and Enhances Tolerance against Environmental Stresses.” Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants : an International Journal of Functional Plant Biology, Springer India, Sept. 2019, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6745571/

 

 

 

 

 


Additional Project Information

Project website: -- No project website --
Presentation files:
Research paper:
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Project files:
Project files
 

Research Plan:

 

 

For the experiment, the plan was to have 3 levels and a control group. Each group had 5 replicates to ensure that the results of the experiment would be valid.

 

Control: 0 hours of magnetization

 

Level 1: 6 hours of magnetization

 

Level 2: 12 hours of magnetization 

 

Level 3: 24 hours of magnetization

 

1. Gather the following materials:

 

1 3 in 1 grow light

8 Drainable pots

3.75 liters of water

A graduated cylinder

Radish seeds

12 magnets with a 2.5 centimeters diameter hole in the middle of each

3.75 liters of neutral, non-acidic soil

A metric ruler

A non-washable marker

2. Place a kitchen towel down on a table.

3.  Take four magnets and stack them on top of each other. so they are magnetically attracting and are not repelling each other. The north side of the magnets should be facing up, and the 2.5 centimeters holes in the center of the magnets should be aligned

4. Repeat steps 1-3 3 times, once for each experimental level.

5. Place 5 radish seeds into each set of stacked magnets.

6. After placing the radish seeds into the configurations of magnets, label one magnet setup with “Level 1”, one with “Level 2” and one with “Level 3”.

7. Six hours after placing the seeds into the magnets,take the seeds from Level 1 out and place them in a paper cup, away from the magnets.

8. 12 hours after placing the seeds into the magnets, take the seeds from Level 2 out of the magnets and place them in a paper cup, away from the magnets.

9. 24 hours after placing the seeds into the magnets, take the seeds from Level 3 and place them in a paper cup, away from the magnets.

10. To begin planting the seeds, fill 8 disposable, drainable pots up so that the soil line in 2 cm away from the rim of the pot.

11. Label the pots with a marker-Control A, Control B, Level 1 A, Level 1 B, and do the same for the pots holding levels 2 and 3.

12. Take out 5 non-magnetized seeds and place 3 of them in the Control A pot and 2 of them in the Control B pot.
13. Bury the seeds 1 cm deep into the soil and make sure that the seeds are at least 2 cm apart from each other.

14. Repeat step 13 but with the different levels of magnetized seeds for levels 1,2, and 3.

15. Mark the side of each pot where a seed was planted

16. Label these markings as Replicates 1,2,3,4, and 5 for each level.

17. Place all the pots under the grow lights in a controlled indoor environment. While the radishes are growing, measure the radishes daily to record their growth with a metric ruler by measuring from where the radish stem comes out of the soil to the highest end of a leaf when held vertically.

18. Water the radishes with approximately 2-3 tablespoons of water per day.

19. Keep the grow lights on for 12 hours a day to ensure that the radishes get the proper amount of sunlight. Do this by setting an electric timer to 12 hours and plugging the grow lights in to the timer.

20.While the radishes are growing, repeat steps 18-19 daily for 25 days.

Materials needed:



 

Grow lights

Drainable pots

3. 75 liters of Water

Graduated cylinder

Radish seeds

12 magnets with a 2.5 centimeters diameter hole in the middle of each

Neutral, non-acidic soil

Metric ruler

Marker

Scissors


 

Safety Precautions:

 

As the experiment will be using grow lights, it is possible that there could be an electrical shock risk. It is also possible that these grow lights could cause a fire. Therefore, the selected lights shall be able to be plugged in for extensive periods of time without overheating.  These grow lights will consistently be plugged in properly.

 

Data Analysis Plan: For the analysis of the data collected in this experiment, the plan will be to analyze that data by measuring the radishes daily. However, the only data that will go towards the conclusion of the experiment will be the mean final height of the 5 radish replicates for each level after 25 days of growth. The data collected every day will be used to create a line graph of the growth rate of each level for an additional study.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Questions and Answers

 

 

What was the major objective of your project and what was your plan to achieve it? 

The major objective of my project was to test whether or not magnetizing radish seeds for various amounts of time before planting would effect the height of the radish. My plan to achieve this goal was to have 3 levels in my experiment and a control group. I would magnetize 5 seeds for 6 hours, 5 seeds for 12 hours, 5 seeds for 24 hours, and 5 seeds for 0 hours. I planned to monitor and record the growth of the radishes for 25 days and then I would analyze the data to determine whether or not the magnetism had an effect of the height of the radishes.

 

    a. Was that goal the result of any specific situation, experience, or problem you encountered?  

This goal was not the result of any specific problem that I, myself have encountered, but fertilizers are a huge cause for chemical waste and the toxins pollute the environment. My research on magnetism stated that magnetic fields accelerate a seed’s metabolism, which helps the seed grow faster and taller. My research also stated that seeds that are magnetized are less susceptible to disease and adverse conditions that would normally stunt their growth. Therefore, in the future agriculture industry, magnetism could be an answer to finding a better way to help our plants grow by mimicking our own planet’s magnetic field to accelerate the growth and sustainability of plants.

 

    b. Were you trying to solve a problem, answer a question, or test a hypothesis?

 

I was trying to test a hypothesis, “If radish seeds are exposed to magnetic fields, then the longer the amount of time exposed to the magnetic fields, the taller the radish stem.” But, as stated above, this experiment also represents a problem that could be solved if the method used in the experiment is implemented.



 

2. What were the major tasks you had to perform in order to complete your project?

 

The major tasks that I had to perform in order to complete my project included research, writing my own procedure, magnetizing my radishes, planting the radishes, watering and measuring the radishes daily for 25 days, and conducting the analysis of the data. The first major task I had to perform was conducting the research for my experiment. This research was essential because it was what I based my hypothesis off of. Next, I had to formulate my procedure. This was a long and vigorous task because I wanted to ensure that my procedure was as most accurate and precise as possible. After formulating my procedure, I began my experiment by magnetizing my seeds. To do so, I stacked four magnets on top of each other so that they are magnetically attracting and I aligned the holes in the magnets and placed the seeds in. After magnetizing my seeds for the designated lengths of time, the next task was to plant my seeds. I made sure that each pot had the same measurement of soil to ensure reliability of the experiment. My next task was a very long one- I had to measure and water the plants every day for 25 days. I made sure to give all 20 plants equal amounts of water daily and I measured from the bottom of the radish stem to the leaf with a metric ruler. After the plants were finished growing, I analyzed all my data, put it in a graph, wrote my conclusion based on the data collected, and formulated my error analysis.

 

    a. For teams, describe what each member worked on.



 

3. What is new or novel about your project?

 

My project is a new idea because even though I have seen a few other studies on magnetism’s effect on plants when conducting extensive research, I have not seen a study on magnetism’s effect on radishes. The idea behind my project is also a still a novel idea that is yet to be tested or brought attention to by many experiments.

 

    a. Is there some aspect of your project's objective, or how you achieved it that you haven't done before?

 

This project was new for me as it was the first science experiment in which I conducted all the research, wrote my own procedure, and actually did the experiment by myself. As this experiment was very new to me, I enjoyed attempting the new challenge of this project and discovering new information.

 

    b. Is your project's objective, or the way you implemented it, different from anything you have seen?

 

As stated in a previous question, the question investigated by my project is a question that has been experimented on by a few projects, but this idea still is relatively novel even though it is not completely unique and I had to do extensive research to find similar projects.

 

    c. If you believe your work to be unique in some way, what research have you done to confirm that it is?



 

4. What was the most challenging part of completing your project?

 

I would say that the most challenging part of completing my project was to make sure that I was measuring and watering all of the radishes consistently so that I didn’t add an extra variable to my experiment. This was difficult, however, and although I watered the plants equally and did my best to measure each replicate the same way, it would be an impossible feat to do this perfectly, so, in my error analysis, I had to include this as a possible random error in my error analysis.

 

   a. What problems did you encounter, and how did you overcome them?

 

A problem that I encountered was simply the sheer amount of time that it took to run this experiment. This was difficult because I had to balance my science project with my schoolwork and other activities. From the research to my conclusion, my experiment took over three months to complete. To overcome this problem, I just had to persevere and complete my project anyway.

 

   b. What did you learn from overcoming these problems?

 

What I learned from overcoming that problem is that even though I probably shouldn’t attempt a project that is too much to handle, a good challenge is helpful and fun to complete. I also learned to persevere and work hard to accomplish my goals.

 

5. If you were going to do this project again, are there any things you would you do differently the next time?

 

If I were to do this project again, one thing I would do differently is that I would change the dependent variable from the final height of the radishes to the growth rate of the radishes as the experiment would be more accurate and more successful.



 

6. Did working on this project give you any ideas for other projects? 

 

Yes. Working on this project gave me an idea to do a follow-up experiment on the effect of magnetism on plants versus the effect of fertilizer on plants. I think that this experiment would better address the issue I was trying to find an answer to and that it would provide more useful information.What was the major objective of your project and what was your plan to achieve it? 

The major objective of my project was to test whether or not magnetizing radish seeds for various amounts of time before planting would effect the height of the radish. My plan to achieve this goal was to have 3 levels in my experiment and a control group. I would magnetize 5 seeds for 6 hours, 5 seeds for 12 hours, 5 seeds for 24 hours, and 5 seeds for 0 hours. I planned to monitor and record the growth of the radishes for 25 days and then I would analyze the data to determine whether or not the magnetism had an effect of the height of the radishes.

7. How did COVID-19 affect the completion of your project?

COVID-19 had no significant effect on the completion of my project.

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. How did COVID-19 affect the completion of your project?

COVID-19 did not have a significant effect on the completion of my project.