In this great experiment, you will make leaves and stems of plants act like a straw.
Things Required:
Glass soda bottle
Ivy leaf and stem
Clay
Straw
Pencil
Mirror
Directions:
Fill the bottle to within an inch of its top. Wrap the clay around the stem near the leaf. Place the stem
into the bottle. The end of the stem must be below the surface of the water. Cover the mouth of the bottle with the clay. Push the pencil through the clay to make an opening for the straw. Insert the straw so that its opening may be in the air space at the top of the bottle. Squeeze the clay around the straw.
Stand in front of the mirror and look at the mirror image of the bottle while you suck the air out of the bottle through the straw. This should be difficulty if there are no leaks in the clay, so use a lot of suction.
This Is What Happens:
Bubbles start forming at the bottom of the stem.
Science Behind It:
There are holes in the leaf called stomata, and tiny tubes called xylem run down the stem. The leaf and stem acted like a straw. As you sucked air out of the straw, more was drawn in through the leaf straw. It is through these tubes and holes that water moves in a plant.
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