Arugula and Magnetism

A magnet is an object that is surrounded by a magnetic field and that has the property, either natural or brought on, of attracting iron or steel. Every magnet has at least one North pole and one South pole. We usually say that the magnetic field lines leave the North end of a magnet and enter the South end of a magnet. This is an example of a magnetic dipole ("di" means two, therefore, two poles).

If you take a bar magnet and break it into two pieces, each piece will again have a North pole and a South pole. If you take one of those pieces and break it into two, each of the smaller pieces will have a North pole and a South pole. No matter how small the pieces of the magnet become, each piece will have a North pole and a South pole. So far, there is no possible way to end up with a single North pole or a single South pole, which is a monopole ("mono" means one or single, therefore, one pole).

Arugula is a leafy green herb of the mustard family. It is also known also as rocket, Italian cress, roquette, and rucola. Arugula has dark green leaves that are original in shape and size. It is related to both the radishes and watercresses. In the ground, the plant resembles a loose lettuce with long, slender leaves. An arugula plant can be between 3-8 inches long, and they are mostly native to the Mediterranean region. It is very healthy because it is low in calories, and is a good source of vitamins A and C, folate, calcium, and magnesium.

Put those two, arugula and magnets, together, and viola, our project!

We hypothesized that the magnetic field coming from the magnet would affect the arugula plant's growth in one way or another, weather that's for better or worse. Magnetism must have an effect, right? We predicted that the magnets would either cause the arugula plant to grow taller quicker, or to grow slower in more time than usual.

We grew six plants, three