Some students investigated osmosis in raw potato sticks. The students measured the mass of three potato sticks using an electronic balance. The students left each potato stick in one of the three different liquids for 5 hours: i. distilled water ii. dilute sodium chloride solution iii. concentrated sodium chloride solution After 5 hours they measured the mass again and calculated the change in mass. 1. Predict which of the liquids would cause the largest decrease in mass of a potato stick. 2. After the experiment the students noticed that the potato stick with the lowest mass was soft and floppy. Explain why the potato stick had become soft and floppy. 3. The students followed the same experimental procedure with boiled potato sticks and found no overall change in mass in any of the solutions. Suggest why the mass of the boiled potato sticks remained the same.
Answers
Some students investigated osmosis in raw potato sticks. The students measured the mass of three potato sticks using an electronic balance. The students left each potato stick in one of the three different liquids for 5 hours: i. distilled water ii. dilute sodium chloride solution iii. concentrated sodium chloride solution After 5 hours they measured the mass again and calculated the change in mass. 1. Predict which of the liquids would cause the largest decrease in mass of a potato stick. 2. After the experiment the students noticed that the potato stick with the lowest mass was soft and floppy. Explain why the potato stick had become soft and floppy. 3. The students followed the same experimental procedure with boiled potato sticks and found no overall change in mass in any of the solutions. Suggest why the mass of the boiled potato sticks remained the same.
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