Conceptual Physics (12th Edition)

Published by Addison-Wesley
ISBN 10: 0321909100
ISBN 13: 978-0-32190-910-7

Chapter 1 - Think and Explain - Page 17: 25

Answer

Aristotle’s hypothesis was not fully correct. Plant material comes partly from the soil, but also from air and water. A logical experiment is to weigh the dry soil in a pot before planting a seed in it. The grown plant plus the dry soil remaining in the pot will weigh much more than the original seed and its dry soil. One should ideally perform the experiment in a closed system to track the weight of water added, to recapture evaporated water, and to estimate the weight of air taken in by the plant.

Work Step by Step

To test a scientific hypothesis, one should conceive of a test that could prove the hypothesis to be incorrect, then carry it out.
Update this answer!

You can help us out by revising, improving and updating this answer.

Update this answer

After you claim an answer you’ll have 24 hours to send in a draft. An editor will review the submission and either publish your submission or provide feedback.