What can I test about seed germination?

What are some questions for seed germination?

• My science fair topic is the Effects of Radiation on Seed Germination and I need 3 questions for my research paper. I already have "what is seed germination?", "what factors affect seed germination?", and I need one more. I would prefer for it to be a question on seed germination and not radiation because thats not what im focusing on. Thanks!

• Answer:

  If your science fair topic is "the Effects of Radiation on Seed Germination" then you need to involve radiation in at least one question if not in all three. Now, you should already know what germination is, no need to ask that - state what germination is. Several factors could effect seed germination - state what the factors are that you know could effect seed germination - no need to ask that. By the way - the term radiation means daylight and is not something dangerous like radioactivity. *** Radioactivity is not the same thing as radiation *** so don't worry about it. Your Science fair topic is only about the Effects of Radiation on Seed Germination. So you have to measure that and you might ask:- Do seeds need light (that's radiation) to germinate? In other words, can seeds germinate in the dark? And before you ask, I really don't know the answer. It may depend on what type of seeds you have. The next question might be to compare a large seed like a bean, with a small seed like a lettuce, and see if they can both germinate without light. You might have to count the number of seeds that germinate to assess what the effect of light is on germination. Then you might ask a question about the amount of light that your seeds get exposed to. If light makes a difference to germination is 1 hour, 2 hours or 3 hours sufficient to make a difference? I hope this helps. Actually, you are at the most important stage in your project. You have to ask your question so that you get a clear answer from your experiment. For example you might ask a question that has a yes / no answer - such as, if only one seed germinates in the dark then the answer to, 'does your particular seed need light to germinate' is No. But you might also ask a question that compares averages, like 'do more seeds germinate in the light?' Then you have to count and compare numbers, work out what the difference is, and what it means. All the very best of luck in your study.