The Oxygen Makers

• databot

• IOS/Android Smart Device

Investigations

Life Science

Overview

Background

What You Will Need/Prep

• Test your databot™ connection.

• You will be prompted to select
  and connect to databot™ each
  time you launch an experiment.

• If there are two or more
  databot™'s listed, the one
  closest to your device will be
  highlighted in blue.

The Oxygen Makers

Have you ever wondered why plants grow better in
some places than in others? In this lesson, you will
explore how light intensity affects the rate of
photosynthesis—the process plants use to make
their own food. Using databot’s illuminance sensor
and live aquatic plants, you will measure how
changes in light influence oxygen production, giving
you a real-time look at photosynthesis in action.

• Install Vizeey™ on your
  Smart device.

• Study the background
  information and terms and
  prepare to explore!

Grades: Middle School

Time: 45 Minutes

Subject: Life Science

Topics: Illuminance, Photosynthesis

Photosynthesis is one of the most important
biological processes on Earth. It allows plants, algae,
and some bacteria to convert light energy into
chemical energy in the form of glucose. During this
process, plants also release oxygen, which supports
life for almost all organisms—including humans.

Light plays a critical role in photosynthesis. When
light strikes the chlorophyll inside plant cells, it
provides the energy needed to split water molecules
and produce oxygen. The intensity of light directly
influences how quickly these reactions occur. For
example:

• In bright light, plants usually photosynthesize
  faster, producing more oxygen.

• In low light, photosynthesis slows down because
  there is not enough energy to drive the reaction.

• When light is too intense, some plants may even
  protect themselves by reducing their
  photosynthetic activity.

By measuring illuminance (light intensity) with
databot, you can precisely observe how different
lighting conditions affect the photosynthesis rate.
The oxygen bubbles produced by aquatic plants
serve as visible evidence of this process.

• Aquatic plants (Elodea,
  Vallisneria)

• A transparent container with
  water

• A powerful light source

• A ruler

Light

Learning Objectives

By completing this lab, students will:

• Use databot to measure light intensity near the plant

• Observe oxygen release from aquatic plants under different light conditions

• Understand the relationship between photosynthesis and oxygen production

• Analyse how changes in light affect the rate of photosynthesis

• Photosynthesis: the process in which plants use light to create energy rich
  compounds.

• Light intensity: the amount of light available to the plant.

• Oxygen release: visible gas bubbles produced during active photosynthesis.

• Aquatic plants: species that live fully or partly in water and exchange gases through
  their tissues

Life Science

Through this experiment, students will gain a deeper understanding of how plants use light
to grow and how environmental conditions can shape their ability to survive.

Interesting Fact

Aquatic plants can create tiny trails of
oxygen bubbles that rise like silver strings
through the water. Each bubble is a direct
result of sunlight being transformed into
energy inside the plant. In bright light a
single healthy stem can release dozens of
bubbles every minute which makes the
process of photosynthesis visible to the
human eye as if the plant is quietly
breathing under water.

Light

• Graph showing the illuminance

In order to work with the experiment you need to launch the Vizeey
application and click on + in the upper right corner.

Then select “Add experiment from QR code” and scan the QR code
prepared for this experiment. Your experiment will appear in the list.

Using Vizeey

When you start the experiment you will be immediately
offered to connect to your databot. Make sure that databot
is turned on and in Vizeey mode with a blue blinking light.

• Illuminance value in real-time.

This lab work investigates the humidity
sensor

Life Science

Databot will be used to measure the light coming from the lamp during the experiment. Its
built in light sensor detects the intensity of illumination in real time and shows how much
energy is available for the plant to perform photosynthesis.

By placing databot at different distances from the lamp, students can observe how
changes in measured light levels influence the amount of oxygen the plant produces.

https://vizeey.com

Light

Where do you expect oxygen bubbles to appear first on the plant?

How do you think the intensity of light will influence the amount of oxygen produced?
_______________________________________________________________________________________

Part 1: Initial Observations and Discussion Questions

How might the temperature of the water or the clarity of the container affect your
results? ______________________________________________________________________________

Before starting the experiment, write your prediction about how light intensity will affect the
plant’s oxygen production.

I think the plant will produce more or fewer oxygen bubbles when the light is
________________________________________________ because
_________________________________________________________________________________________

I believe the strongest oxygen release will appear near the
___________________________________________________________ because
_________________________________________________________________________________________

When the light source is moved farther away, I expect the number of bubbles to
_________________________________________ because
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Life Science

The best results are achieved when the plant is placed in clean, fresh water.
Clear water provides the essential minerals and conditions that support
healthy photosynthesis, allowing the plant to release oxygen bubbles more
visibly and consistently.

Light

• Fill a transparent container with clean water and place an aquatic plant inside.

• Place the databot near the container.

• Turn on databot (using the small button on the left side)

• Tap on " The Oxygen Makers" in Vizeey to load the experiment.

• You will be prompted to connect to databot.

  • Hint- if there is more than one databot in use, the one closest to you will be in blue!

  • A solid blue light on databot means you are connected.

• Start your experiment using:

  • Use these icons at the top of the screen in Vizeey to start and to pause the
    experiment.

Part 3: Experiment Procedure

Life Science

• Place the light source at a fixed distance from the plant and allow the system to
  stabilize for one minute.

• Place the Databot near the plant and record the light intensity readings and the
  distance of the light source from the plant.

• Time the experiment from the start.

• Observe the plant carefully. Look for oxygen bubbles forming on the leaves or roots.

• Count the number of bubbles released at thirty-second intervals for several minutes.

• Increase or decrease the distance to the light source and repeat the measurements.

• Record all data in a table and compare how light intensity affects oxygen production.

Light

The databot is directed by
sensors towards the light.

Light source

Life Science

You can also repeat the experiment using different plant species. Each plant perceives
oxygen differently. You can study them.

Which part of the plant released oxygen most visibly and why do you think this happened?

Why is measuring light with databot important for analysing the plant’s oxygen production?

How did light intensity influence the number of oxygen bubbles produced by the plant?

Would you expect all aquatic plants to produce the same number of bubbles?

1. Describe what surprised you most during the experiment.

2. Think about environmental factors that may have influenced your data.

Light