Critical Thinking Activities - Chapter 7

Question 1. You are on a spaceship moving closer to the sun. Your food supply is supplemented by an onboard greenhouse. The light intensity is increasing and for visual comfort, you must block out some sunlight. What color of glass-reflecting pane do you install to preserve the maximum photosynthesis, and why?

Question 2. The Dutchman Van Helmont grew a tree in a large pot and found the soil did not add to the weight of the tree. Unaware of the gases in the air, he therefore concluded a tree was made of water, the only thing else that he was aware was added in his experiment. How could you prove to Van Helmont that something in the air was also involved in making up the tree's substance?

Answers are available to instructors in the Instructor's Manual.
Back to Critical Thinking Activities