10/10/13

Tonight's homework is to:

1. Make sure that you have signed up for Quest (see previous posts).
2. Complete the "Practice" assignment on Quest.
3. Work on Assignment 12 and complete as much as you can.
4. Review your notes for tomorrow's check-in.


Also, any emailed submissions of data from the Soil Investigation would be deeply appreciated.

Assignment #12 - Soil Characteristics Investigation – Day 2 and 3 Questions

Answer all of the following questions to the best of your ability in complete sentences in your LAB NOTEBOOK.

Activity 1 – Water-Holding Capacity and Capillary Action of Soil

1. Make inferences based on your observations and data. Support these inferences by referring to your data. Be specific.

2. Why is the water-holding capacity of soil important? Think of specific examples.

3. What type of soil could be added to the local soil you are using in order to…

a. improve its ability to hold water?

b. decrease its ability to retain water?

Support your answers.

Activity 3 – Analysis of Free Ions (Soil Nutrients)

4. Make inferences based on your observations and data. Support these inferences by referring to your data. Be specific.

5. How do soils become depleted of their nutrients?

6. What can be done about nutrient depletion in soil?

Activity 4 – Determination of Soil Permeability

7. Make inferences based on your observations and data. Support these inferences by referring to your data. Be specific.

8. Imagine a sloping field of sandy soil and a sloping field of soil with a high clay content, each with an identical drainage ditch at the bottom. After a prolonged, heavy downpour, which ditch would be more likely to be flooded? Why?

9. Most plants need water to penetrate the soil. What soil particle type could be added to your local soil sample in order to increase the soil’s permeability? Support your answer.

Activity 5 – Particle Size Distribution

10a. Make inferences based on your observations and data. Support these inferences by referring to your data. Be specific.

10b. Was your hypothesis about the composition of the local soil sample accurate? Support your conclusions.