The student investigated how two variables - sodium bicarbonate concentration and light intensity - affected the photosynthetic rates of fresh spinach leaf disks by measuring how many disks floated in solutions over time; while concentrations of 15g, 25g, and 35g of sodium bicarbonate and changes to light intensity showed no effect on flotation compared to the control, the control group where disks were in a soap solution saw more disks sink over 5 minutes.