Transcript Disrupting Membranes

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There has been an experiment conducted by K. S.
Rathore and A. Goldsworthy and they applied direct
current of about a millionth of an ampere to cells of
tobacco plants. The plants grew callus other than
normal cells. It became noticeable after ten days and
was very obvious by the twenty-second day. ''The
effect was dependent on the direction of the current,''
the scientists reported. When the callus was negative
the growth rate stimulated by seventy percent and
then it was reversed, it was “slightly inhibitory”. it was
concluded that although normal cells did not grow
due to the electricity, there was a different kind of
growth. So the electricity had an effect on the plant.
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A beet, also known as garden beet, blood turnip or
red beet is a vegetable with much vitamin A and
vitamin C. This experiment will observe the reactions
on beet plant cells when different amounts of
electricity are added to them. From the review of
research, it has been discovered that the phloem
tissues contain cells that transport sugars and
nutrition to the places where growth is occurring in
the plant (Spanswick 2006). So as the beet is
electrocuted, the cells will release glucose into the
water and it will be measured with Other
experimenters concluded that the plant will brown
Glucose Test Strips to observe whether the different
voltages caused more glucose to be released.
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Independent Variable: Electricity
Levels
Trials
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AA
3
1.5 Volts
3
6 Volts
3
9 Volts
3
Dependent Variable: color of beets
Control: the beet that had no electricity
added to it
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Beets
Bowls
Alligator Wires
Copper Wire
Batteries
Knife
Water
Glucose Test Strips
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Cut beets into slices
Pour half a cup of water into a bowl
Stick one end of the copper wire into the beet and place
the beet into the bowl of water
On the other end of the copper wire, clip on the alligator
wire and clip the other side of the alligator wires onto the
battery
Time for approximately ten minutes
Place a beet into water without
After the ten minutes, remove the clips from the battery
Remove copper wire from beet
Dip Glucose Test Strip into each cup and observe color
Repeat for every trial
Shades of Yellow
AA
3
6
3
4
6
trial 1
2
3
7
trial 2
1
2
5
trial 3
9
8
9
7
*The shades of yellow are rated on a scale of 1-10;
one being the lightest yellow and ten being the
darkest yellow.
0
2
1
2
Amount of Glucose in the Water
10
9
8
Shades of Yellow
7
6
5
trial 1
4
trial 2
trial 3
3
2
1
0
AA
3
6
Different volts
9
0
CONTROL
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The purpose of this experiment was to prove that
the higher the voltage added to a beet, the more
glucose released into the water. In the
experiment, the higher the voltage, the more
glucose was released from the cell membranes.
The lowest amount of voltage released the lowest
amount of glucose. The experiment supported
the hypothesis because the higher voltage
released the most glucose from the cell
membranes and vice versa. It would be helpful to
have higher amounts of electricity added to the
beets.
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"ELECTRICITY MAY PLAY ROLE IN PLANT GROWTH - NYTimes.com."
The New York Times - Breaking News,
World News & Multimedia. 09 Apr. 1985. Web. 29 Sept. 2010.
<http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?>