An experiment to show osmosis in potato chips in different concentrations of sucrose solution - also investigating how potato chips change in volume and weight when placed in different concentrations of sucrose solution

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Factors affecting osmosis in potato tissue

Introduction:

I am going to design and modify an experiment used to show osmosis in potato chips in different concentrations of sucrose solution. I am also going to investigate on how potato chips change in volume and weight when placed in different concentrations of sucrose solution. I will also conduct a preliminary experiment before my final experiment.

Aim:

To investigate the effect of different concentration of sucrose solution on potato chips.

Hypothesis:

I would expect the potato chips to turn flaccid when they are placed in a strong sucrose solution because the water from within the cells will diffuse out leaving the potato flaccid. The potato chips left in the weak sucrose solutions should turn turgid in a weak sucrose solution, due to the water being absorbed by osmosis into the cells of the potatoes, this will make the potato chip larger in size. I should also be able to find some potato chips, which have neither increased nor decreased in size because the concentration in the potato is the same as the sucrose solution, so no mass or length would be gained or lost.