Question

1. a student formulated a hypothesis that cotton will grow larger bolls (pods) if magnesium is added to the soil. the student has two experimental fields of cotton, one with magnesium and one without. which data should be collected to support this hypothesis? (a) height of the cotton plants in both fields (b) diameter of the cotton bolls in both fields (c) length of the growing season in both fields (d) color of the cotton bolls in both fields ____ why?__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Explanation:

The hypothesis is about cotton growing larger bolls with magnesium. To support this, we need data related to the size of cotton bolls. Option (a) is about plant height, not boll size. Option (c) is about growing season length, irrelevant to boll size. Option (d) is about boll color, not size. Option (b) measures the diameter of cotton bolls, which directly relates to their size, so collecting this data can show if magnesium affects boll size.

Answer:

(b) diameter of the cotton bolls in both fields

For the "Why?" part: The hypothesis focuses on whether magnesium makes cotton bolls larger. Measuring the diameter of cotton bolls (option b) directly assesses boll size. Other options (a: plant height, c: growing season length, d: boll color) do not relate to the size of the bolls, so only measuring boll diameter can provide data to support or refute the hypothesis about boll size.