VI. Conclusion
The results of the experiment showed that the potatoes were affected by hypertonic and hypotonic osmosis. The potato in salt water decreased in its mass by hypertonic by at least 0.2 to 2%. The potato in regular water increased in it's mass by hypotonic by at least 0.6 to 4%. The potato represents a cell being affected by osmosis. Osmosis is the movement of solvent molecules through a selectively permeable membrane into a region of higher solute concentration. Observations of this lab were that osmosis affected the mass of the potato in salt and regular water. Difficulties in completing the lab was getting the correct accurate number of each task. The potato had to be relativity close to two cm on each side which, therefore, would affect the mass difference of each potato. When measuring three tablespoons of salt, the balance could have been inaccurate or the three tablespoons of salt were placed in the beaker inaccurate. That may have affected the mass of the potato in salt water. An error that occurred was instead of 0.2 to 2% the mass of the potato in salt water could have been higher or lower depending on the mistake of how accurate the salt was in the beaker. A way this error could have been reduced was to have someone other than ourselves to make sure there was exactly three tablespoons of salt in the beaker. After soaking each potato cube, the affect of hypertonic and hypotonic osmosis increased and decreased the mass of each potato. Before soaking the potato in water the mass was 4.3 grams and increased to 4.9 grams by a hypotonic solution. The texture of the potato changed after soaking a few days in both regular and salt water. In salt water the potato became smoother because the concentration of dissolved substances is higher in the solution outside the potato. In regular water the potato became bumpy because the potato swelled from a higher concentration of water in the potato. Osmosis affected each potato by a...