To Determine Where Plants Obtain the Raw Materials Needed for Growth

question 14

Essay

To determine where plants obtain the raw materials needed for growth, van Helmont collected data on the growth of a willow tree for over 5 years. He measured the amount of soil in a pot, planted the tree in the soil, and then watered the tree with rainwater. After 5 years, he weighed the soil and the tree. He concluded that the tree did not gain its mass from the soil, but incorrectly concluded that the tree had gained its mass from the water. What are two critical problems with this study design? How could you redesign the study to fix these two study design problems?

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Definitions:

Indemnify

To compensate for harm or loss; in legal contexts, often involves a party agreeing to bear any losses or damages incurred by another party.

Third-party Claims

Third-party claims involve demands for compensation or legal action brought by someone who is not a direct party to a contract, usually in liability or insurance cases.

Insurance

A contract by which an insurance company, the insurer, promises to pay a sum of money or give something of value to another, either the insured or the beneficiary, to compensate for a specified loss.

Concurrent Property Ownership

Ownership of property by two or more parties at the same time, where each party has an undivided interest in the whole property.