Osmosis in Potatoes
Effect of Different Solutions on Potato Strips
Observe how potato strips change when placed in solutions with different salt/sugar concentrations. See osmosis in action as water moves across cell membranes!
Distilled Water
Weak Salt (0.5%)
Strong Salt (5%)
Sugar (10%)
Ready to Start
Time: 0 minutes
Observation:
Click "Start Experiment" to observe how potato strips change in different solutions over time.
The Science of Osmosis
Key Concepts:
- Osmosis: Movement of water across a semi-permeable membrane from low to high solute concentration
- Hypertonic: Solution with higher solute concentration (water moves out of cells)
- Hypotonic: Solution with lower solute concentration (water moves into cells)
- Isotonic: Equal concentration (no net water movement)
In Potato Cells:
Potato cells have semi-permeable membranes. In distilled water (hypotonic), water enters cells causing them to swell. In concentrated solutions (hypertonic), water leaves cells causing them to shrink.
