Results


When all was said and done, the experiment proved successful. The students (see Figure 15) obtained hands-on experience in a key aspect of the scientific method. They learned the importance of continuous (in this case thrice-weekly) measurements of experimental variables. They could see with their own eyes how the plants developed each week and how they differed between the lowest and highest CO2 concentrations. They also learned that real experiments, especially biological experiments, often do not provide perfect results, and that one must sometimes replicate a study several times to be confident of one's findings. Last of all, they gained new insights into a perplexing real-world dilemma of global proportions that they will likely read about and hear discussed on radio and television for years to come.