About 200 years ago, Jan Baptista van Helmont wanted to know where growing plants get the materials necessary for increases in size. He planted a tree seedling weighing 5 pounds in a barrel filled with 200 pounds of soil and then watered the tree regularly. After five years, the tree weighed 169 pounds, 3 ounces, and the soil weighed 199 pounds, 14 ounces. Because the tree had gained so much weight and the soil had lost so little, he concluded that the tree had gained all of its additional weight by absorbing the water he had added to the barrel. Was he correct in his conclusion? Please explain your answer.
