Investigating the link between the concentration of a salt solution and the change in weight of a piece of potato placed in it.

Introduction

I am going to investigate the link between the concentration of a salt solution and the change in weight of a piece of potato placed in it.

To do this I will carry out a fair experiment. However, first I have to understand the science behind Osmosis.

Background

I will now explain the relationship between concentration of the salt solution and eventual weight of potato.

I would expect the weight of potato to change because of the movement of water into the potato. The movement of water through plant cells is called osmosis.

According to a Science Revision guide ‘Osmosis is the diffusion of water from a dilute solution to a more concentrated solution through a partially permeable membrane.’

Water diffuses from an area of low concentration solution to an area of high concentration solution.

This occurs, as the diagram below shows, because the water is moving from a place where it is in high concentration to a place where it is in low concentra...