An investigation showing the effect of surface area on osmosis rate, including some different types of water concentration.
Osmosis is a type of passive (not requiring energy) transport of water molecules across partially permeable membrane, from an area of high water concentration into area of low water concentration.
But how does surface area affect rate of osmosis?
Surface area plays important role in osmosis rate. The larger the surface area, the more pores for water or small molecules to pass through - the larger the organism, the smaller the surface area ratio.Therefore if ratio is too small it take molecules much more longer to enter cell.
Prediction
For the experiment, I expect to see different effects on potato samples depending on different water concentration:
· After putting in dilute solution I expect their mass to increase, as effect of taking up water by osmosis - cell should become ‘turgid’.
· Concentrated glucose solution - mass of potatoes samples should decrease , due to water loss in plant cell after placing in concentrated water solution,as the the number of water molecules diffusing out will be more than that entering. Cells become 'flaccid'. It is an opposite osmosis to aforementioned one. I expect potato mass to decrease.
· Osmosis of the same water concentration should not affect potato sample ; I expect potato mass to stay the same.
As bigger surface area increases rate of osmosis and thereby efficiency of osmosis i expect smaller potato sample to a greater concentration gradient.
Method
cut out small sample from potato and place it on tile cut it into two different sized samples using scalpel in order to obtain two various area surfaces. weight potato samples, using electrical weight to be more precisely measure potato using ruler. put potato samples into beaker with dilute water solution for 4