Once researchers select a working hypothesis, they choose an appropriate method to investigate the relationship. The goal of the investigation is to collect data that will support or disprove the hypothesis.

Examples of methods you could use to test for a relationship between vegetation and amount of light include the following:

• Physically cut and weigh all the vegetation within a small plot of land and compare it with the amount of solar radiation the area received.
• Expose plants in a laboratory setting to differing amounts of solar radiation, and compare their growth.
• Choose a specific location on the satellite maps, and quantify the amounts of vegetation and UV exposure there. Compare the two quantities on a graph.