Help, the pumpkins are thirsty!
All about diffusion
My pumpkin plants are looking very sad! I think they are thirsty...
Diffusion
is a fancy word that scientists use. But what does it mean? And what has it got to do with my poor, thirsty pumpkin plants?
Are you ready to find out?
The project – step by step
The Question
How do plants drink?
The Hypothesis (this is the scientific word that we use to say “This is what I think the answer to the question is.”)
Plants draw water out of the soil when they are “thirsty”.
The Experiments
Understanding diffusion
Why these experiments?
By doing this experiment, you will be able to understand how plants “drink” (draw water up) from the soil.
The Conclusion
When you water a plant, you put water in the soil. There will be more water in the ground around the plant than in the plant. Water will be drawn up out of the soil into the plant, just like in the paper towel experiment.
And after a good drink, my pumpkin plants are smiling again!
“Beef up your project” facts
Liquids other than water are also able to diffuse.
Other things like gases and even smells can diffuse. Think about it, when your mom is cooking chicken in the kitchen, and you go to the kitchen you can smell it. If you are sitting in your bedroom, you will not be able to smell it at first, but after a while you will be able to smell it.
More...
Do you want to see how water actually moves up a plant? Go and have a look at the experiment
How plants drink
and do Part B of the experiment.
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