Question

there will be three groups of tomato plants raised from seed: one group will be a control group without any fertilizer, the second group will be planted in soil with artificial fertilizer, and the third group will be planted in soil with compost. the height of the plants will be measured every five days, over a 30 - day period.

part f
how does the design of your experiment control for outside factors that may affect the results?

Explanation:

By having a control group with no fertilizer, other factors like sunlight, water, and temperature can be assumed to be equal across all groups. This allows any differences in plant height to be attributed to the type of fertilizer or lack - thereof.

Answer:

The control group with no fertilizer helps to account for outside factors. All groups are likely exposed to the same environmental conditions (sunlight, water, temperature etc.), so differences in plant height can be more confidently attributed to the type of fertilizer used.