Introduction
According to Sharma (2006), the development of knowledge relies on performing research and retrieving more information than the one that is available. Additionally, these scientific procedures allow scientists to solve problems and answer questions (Sharma, 2006). It is, therefore, prudent to depict the necessity of science research. For instance, I have noticed that the growth of grass is much slower after winter in a situation where salt is poured to melt ice than in other places. I wonder why the growth of salted grass becomes slower than unsalted grass after winter. In a bid to answer this question, I will suggest experiential research through scientific techniques. Hypothesis
I needed a research hypothesis to reach the goal of answering the question. I could have assumed that salt did not have any influence on the growth of grass. However, this hypothesis was not testable. Consequently, I hypothesized that the application of salt on grass inhibits the proper growth of grass. This hypothesis could be tested.
Prediction
An experiment could be set to approve the testable alternative hypothesis. If the grass grows slowly when salt is applied, then it could be concluded that salt has effects on the growth of grass. Contrary, if there are no differences between the controlled setup and the treated setup, then it could be concluded that salt does not influence grass growth. The results would disprove the null hypothesis and either approve or disapprove of the alternative hypothesis.
Controlled Experiment
Testing this hypothesis requires two setups. Grass would be grown in similar conditions. After growth and development, the grass could be trimmed or burned to leave the roots as the only survival mechanism. Two setups could be established where some grass is treated with salt and the other is left untreated. The length of grass would be recorded at intervals of two weeks for three months. It is, therefore, clear that the six lengths of grass would be collected for each setup.
Results
The results could be similar to the ones tabulated below in table 1. If the results support the alternative hypothesis, it is expected that treated grass grows slowly. Therefore, the length of the grass is expected to be less than that of the control experiment. The results of table 1 show that the grass was not able to grow after salt application. What would have caused the absolute failure? After the first month, the grass started to grow at a much slower rate than the control. The growth continued uniformly until the third month.
Table 1.
Discussion
This research displays that there are some effects of salt application on grass. Probably, the hypertonic environment created in the soil prevented the passage of water and ions into the grass systems. Consequently, the grass was not able to make sufficient nutrients through the process of photosynthesis. This leads to low nutrient supply and limited growth. However, the untreated grass grew normally and achieved its normal height easily.
Conclusion
This experiment would manage to approve that salt influences the growth of grass. It refutes the null hypothesis utterly because the growth of grass was limited after applying salt. Therefore, it could be recorded as a scientific fact that salt affects the growth of grass.
References
Sharma, A. (2006). Scientific methods. New Delhi: Vishvabharti Publications.