Hobbies And Interests
Experimental Setup
The basic setup of this experiment involves placing sets of several plants apiece under as nearly identical circumstances as possible while exposing each set to a different kind of music. The primary challenge is keeping the plants separate enough that the different kinds of music do not overlap, while minimizing the differences in various plants' sunlight exposure, ambient temperature, water levels and other growth factors. One approach is to set up each group of plants in a separate room along a corridor of rooms with windows facing the same direction.
Apparatus
Plant seeds or seedlings of the same breed and age into identical flower pots, taking care to plant them at the same soil depth and use the same type of soil (and fertilizer, if appropriate) for each plant. Use boomboxes or speakers attached to MP3 players to loop one type of music, such as classical, rap, heavy metal, country or spoken narration, placing one set of several plants by each speaker. Use one thermometer per set of plants to monitor temperature.
Controlling Variables
If possible, grow several plants beside each speaker to reduce skewed results. To keep the plants' growing conditions as nearly identical as possible, water the plants with the same quantity of water as one another, and as near to the same time as you can. Place the plants in positions that get the same duration and intensity of exposure to sun. Use a thermometer to measure the ambient air temperature near each set of plants.
Control Group
Remember to create a control group that has an identical setup to the other sets of plants, but with no music at all. If possible, use a sound-proof room that provides the same sunlight exposure as the other plants will receive. If no soundproof room is available, take the presence of ambient background noise into account in your results. In order to duplicate factors such as electromagnetic waves caused by the sound equipment, set up a speaker and music source identical to the others for the control group. Turn it on but do not play any sounds or music.
Measuring Results
An important part of the experimental design is choosing how to measure the effects of the music on plant growth. One type of result that is relatively easy to quantify is the rate of plant growth. To measure plant growth, use a ruler to measure the distance from the surface of the soil to the highest point on the plant at regular time intervals. Evaluations of each plant's health and color, while more subjective, may provide valuable supplementary information to your measurements.