Question

use the following information to answer items 5 through 7. two groups of students conduct an experiment to determine whether lettuce plants grow better under red, blue, or green light. the groups collect the following data: group 1: color of light | weight of leaves in grams; green light | 32; red light | 63; blue light | 115; group 2: color of light | weight of leaves in grams; green light | 14; red light | 31; blue light | 72; given this data, which conclusion is the most accurate? a) a highly intense green light is the best light color for growing plants such as lettuce. b) the most effective color of light for growing lettuce plants is red, followed by green, then blue. c) lettuce plants grow approximately twice as much under red light as green light, and approximately twice as much under blue light than red light. d) the color of light does not have a significant impact on the growth of lettuce leaves.

Explanation:

First, we calculate the average weight of lettuce leaves for each color of light. For green light: \((32 + 14)\div2 = 23\) grams. For red light: \((63 + 31)\div2 = 47\) grams. For blue light: \((115 + 72)\div2 = 93.5\) grams.

• Option A: Green light has a lower average weight than red and blue, so it's not the best. Eliminate A.
• Option B: The order of average weights is blue (\(93.5\)) > red (\(47\)) > green (\(23\)), not red > green > blue. Eliminate B.
• Option C: Red light average (\(47\)) is approximately \(47\div23\approx2\) times green light average (\(23\)), and blue light average (\(93.5\)) is approximately \(93.5\div47\approx2\) times red light average (\(47\)). This matches the description.
• Option D: The weights differ significantly between light colors, so light color does impact growth. Eliminate D.

Answer:

C. Lettuce plants grow approximately twice as much under red light as green light, and approximately twice as much under blue light than red light.