A large field at the base of a mountain
becomes flooded when heavy rains in the
mountains cause a stream to overflow. Each time
the flooding occurs, more soil washes away.
The owners of the land want to perform an
experiment to see if different types of plants
could help reduce the soil erosion. They choose
five areas of ground that are the same size, the
same distance from the stream, have the same
slope and the same kind of soil, and receive the
same amount of sunlight. The type of plant
planted in each area is different for each of the
five areas. Measurements of soil erosion will be
made each time flooding occurs. The results will
be compared after six months.
Which hypothesis is being tested in this
experiment?