A plant biologist notices that plants grown in fertilizer are larger than plants grown without fertilizer. She then wonders if fertilized plants also produce more fruits relative to non-fertilized plants. To test this, she carries out an experiment in a greenhouse with potted plants, some receiving fertilizer and some not. At the end of the experiment, she counts the fruits produced and finds that there is no difference between the fruits for the fertilized plants and the mass of fruits for the non-fertilized plants.
1. What is the observation?
2. What is the hypothesis?
3. What is the control?
4. Based on the results (no difference between the two groups), was the hypothesis proven true, supported or should it be rejected?
5. What if the fertilized group had more fruits than the non-fertilized group? Would the hypothesis have been proven true, supported or should it be rejected?