- Science Fair Projects
- Grade
- Topic
- Supplies
- All Science Fair Projects
Photosynthesis & Light Color
If you have a student who's interested in botany, here is a fun science fair project that explores how light color affects photosynthesis in plants.
The Basics of Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis is the process by which plants take unusable energy from sunlight and convert it into usable chemical energy. All this is done through the green pigment found in plants, algae, and some bacteria called chlorophyll which absorbs the sunlight, setting into motion several complex chemical reactions that, in the end, produce sugar as well as an oxygen byproduct.
Project Overview
White light can be separated into different colors (or wavelengths). Chlorophyll absorbs all of these visible wavelengths (colors) of light except green, causing the pigment to reflect this color, giving it a green appearance. This got one elementary student thinking - what effect would a different color light have on photosynthesis? The following project tests green, red, and white light to determine whether light color has any effect on the process of photosynthesis. Be sure to visit the full post for background information, procedure, observations, results, and conclusions!
Related Blog Posts
View MoreBeautiful Blooms: What Makes A Flower Last the ...
Photo Source: thebottomlessbag.blogspot.com Bouquets of beautiful blooms are lovely as centerpi...
Read MoreRecycled Water - Does It Effect Plant Growth?
For students interested in botany, ecology, and recycling, this science fair project that studies...
Read MoreHydroponics - What is the Best Liquid for Germi...
Photo Source: www.kew.org If your upper elementary/middle school student is interested in biolo...
Read MoreMicrowaves and Plants
Photo ©2007 Tim Patterson, Flickr You're probably wondering what kind of science fair project i...
Read MoreGrafting Plants with Bubble Gum!
Photo Source: www.fruitsinfo.com Grafting is a technique that botanists have used in the past t...
Read MorePhototropism: Why Do Plants Grow Toward Light?
For those elementary students interested in botany, this cool experiment from Plants for Kids is...
Read MorePlants and Rooting Hormone: Is It Effective?
Photo Source: ewainthegarden.blogspot.com For all the future botanists out there, Science Proje...
Read MoreMulticolored Flowers
Photo © 2008 Subramanian Kabilan, Flickr This science experiment, designed for upper elementary...
Read MorePlants & Gravity
Photo Source: Nancy Schumann Ever noticed that plant shoots (the parts we can see) tend to grow...
Read MoreThe Effect of Acid Rain on Aquatic Life
Photo © 2005 Rick Smit, Flickr Like smoking, pollution has "second-hand" effects. While it's ea...
Read MoreOxygen in Plant Respiration
Photo Source: Viktor Kuryan Most children are familiar with the overly simplified version of th...
Read More