Potato Chip Experiment.

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Biology Coursework

Potato Chip Experiment

Plan

I am going to investigate osmosis in potato chips, and factors affecting it.

I will need to ensure a fair test so that my experiment is successful. I can do this by measuring the potato strips carefully and to the nearest millimetre, to ensure they are the same dimensions. It is important that they are equal in all dimensions so that they will react in a similar way. It is also going to be important that I keep the amount of solution I keep them in constant as well, so that all conditions are equal.

I shall produce precise and reliable evidence by keeping it a fair test, measuring to plausible accuracy, then presenting the evidence clearly and carefully.

Safety is also an important issue in a laboratory, I shall tie my hair back, make sure that there are no obstacles in the lab, I cannot think of any other possible safety issues, but I find any during the investigation then I will of course include them.

Apparatus

Petri dishes

Cutting board

Borer

Accurate measuring equipment both to ensure equal potato chips and to measure out equal amounts of solution.

Potato

Distilled water

Various concentrations of salt water

Knife

Method

Bore out equal size potato chips; carefully remove the potato chip out of the borer, then cut them to precisely 50.9mm in length. Cut eighteen identical strips in total, placing three in each petri dish, evenly spread out, not touching. The potato chips need to be measured very accurately, so that the results are as accurate as I can make them. Label the six petri dishes clearly, and cover each potato strip with the appropriate solution, so that the potato piece is completely immersed. Put the lids on the petri dishes, and leave them for twenty-four hours. After this time return and measure the length of each potato chip, accurately, and also pay attention to whether it is slightly firmer than before, or slightly floppier. I need to record all three results, and from them make an average for each group. I will then need to record the results in a suitable table.

I shall use six different solutions, ranging between distilled water and a salty 1 molar solution, going up 0.2 moles each time. I shall use three potato chips with each different solution, so that I can create an average result. I consider that this a sufficient standard for my experiment.

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Variables

Concentration of solution, size of potato chips, volume of solution, time left for osmosis to occur.

I am going to keep the size of the potato chips, the volume of solution I keep the potato chips in and the time left for osmosis to occur all constant. I shall be varying the concentration of the solution that the potato ship is immersed in. I shall use the following concentrations: distilled water, 0.2 moles, 0.4 moles, 0.6 moles, 0.8 moles and a 1 molar solution. I will need to make sure all the other variables remain ...

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