Experimental Design Lab

By: Nic Vreede, Arkadiy Frasinich,

Steven Schmatz and Sam Carlisle

Question:

Hypothesis:

How does the terrain of the baseball diamond affect weed growth in the area?

If you test different areas where weeds live, then there will be a higher concentration of weeds farther away from the baseball diamond because there are more nutrients in the soil.

VariablesIndependent VariableThe independent variable is distance from the baseball diamond, which will be measured in meters with distances of 0 meters, ½ meters, 1 meter, 1 ½ meters, and 2 meters.

Dependent VariableThe dependent variable is the population density of weeds in the region in population per square meter. This is achieved by taking a sample area 30 cm x30 cm, finding the number of weeds in each location, and using that data to calculate an average. ConstantsDuring the experiment, many things need to remain constant. First, the size of the testing area must be measured in the same way, or else one will include different types of unnecessary data. Another important variable would be the person counting the number of weeds in the area is very consistent. If different people do it, their style of counting and how they count may differ. Finally, a variable that must be kept constant is the method of measuring the distance from the baseball diamond. If you measure it one way on the first try and another on the second, you will have useless, unrelated data.

Data Table0 meters 0.5 meters 1 meters 1.5 meters 2 meters

Location 1 2 weeds 4 weeds 7 weeds 15 weeds 8 weeds

Location 2 12 weeds 10 weeds 11 weeds 4 weeds 1 weeds

Location 3 8 weeds 3 weeds 1 weed 0 weeds 1 weeds

Location 4 8 weeds 3 weeds 4 weeds 2 weeds 1 weeds

Location 5 3 weeds 8 weeds 6 weeds 4 weeds 4 weeds

0 meters 0.5 meters 1 meters 1.5 meters 2 meters

Average 6.6 weeds 6.4 weeds 5.8 weeds 5 weeds 3 weeds

Data Graph

ConclusionFinally, this experiment and the information we have gathered has been

rather conclusive. We discovered that the species of weed becomes less and less widespread the further it was away from the baseball field. As shown by the data, the average of growth exponentially decreased, the further it was away from the edge of the baseball field. We inferred possible reasons for such a growth pattern, and we concluded this: the species of weed can live in more desolate environments (possibly with longer roots) where grass cannot. Therefore, the weed has less competition, and its survival rates are further increased. As a result of the abiotic factor, of the baseball field, the weed population would increase closer to the edge of the field, and decrease as it moved away.

EvaluationsFor the future, we would suggest that we would bring water outside, as it was

very, very hot as we measured, and we were more inclined to take our measurements quicker due to the difficult weather conditions. This lead to, possibly, a greater margin for human error. Additionally, time permitting, we would build a 30 by 30 inch square to more accurately measure the population size.

In conclusion, the experiment was a large success. Our data was conclusive and logical.