does osmosis affect the mass of potato cells?

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Introduction:

How does sugar concentration affect our body cells? This investigation will be trying to find out that however to make the question more direct to the test I shall alter it to “ does osmosis affect the mass of potato cells?” Osmosis is the movement of H20 (water) from a higher concentration through a semi permeable membrane into low concentration. Osmosis is used by all living creatures as an important feature to life for example a root uses osmosis to absorb water from the soil around it.

 “Osmosis is the net movement of water across a  from a region of high solvent potential to an area of low solvent potential, up a solute concentration gradient. It is a physical process in which a solvent moves, without input of energy, across a semi permeable membrane (permeable to the solvent, but not the solute) separating two solutions of different concentrations. Osmosis releases energy, and can be made to do work, as when a growing tree-root splits a stone”. Quoted from Wikipedia

Computer simulation of Osmosis

Finding more about Osmosis and how it works could help improve our understanding of diabetes and how to produce a permanent cure to it. This would dramatically change the lives of so many people.

I believe that the project will have some effect, as it working similarly to a sponge in water; the water goes into the space in the sponge that the air left behind.

For this investigation I will be using

  • Different levels of sugar solution e.g. 5% sugar 10%,15%,20% up to 30% , I will use these solutions to see the effects of stronger solutions has on the potatoes cells
  • Potatoes (in thin slices), I will use these to see the effects of sugar solution on them.
  • Scales, to measure the difference of weight on the potatoes after osmosis
  • Stop watch, to measure the time the potatoes were kept in the solution and telling us when to remove them from the solution so the results were fairer
  • Test tubes, to hold the liquid solution and the potatoes to stop them flowing over the table and making a mess.
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Method

  1. Cut the potatoes into slices 1cm long using a knife.
  2. Label test tubes and fill with ONE sugar solution.

  1. Dry the potato slices then Weigh them and record them on a table.

  1. Insert the potatoes into the test tubes and use stop watch to record time.

  1. Wait 15 minutes then remove the potatoes and dry them. Then record their new weights

  1. Repeat with different solutions

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