Potato Osmolarity Lab Report

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The aim of the experiment was to determine the osmolarity of the potato. In the experiment, the % mass change increased from -4.2% to 6.5% and drops to -16%. In 1%, 4% and 5% concentrations, the potato showed up as hypertonic and 2% and 3% concentrations are hypotonic. The standard deviation of concentration 3% showed up as 8, which is extremely high. It shows that the experiment of the concentration 3% was not accurate. Percentage uncertainty, which equal to the random error, was 1.33133%. The expected result was that the % mass change will decrease gradually from positive percentage to negative percentage (hypotonic to hypertonic), and the osmolarity of the potato could be calculate by using the moment when the graph and 0% mass change intersects. But in the result, the graph starts with negative percentage, increased to positive …show more content…

In the graph, it is hard to estimate the osmolarity of the potato. Based on the best fit linear graph, the moment when there is no osmosis is when the concentration of the walt water is 1.89%, but it is not reliable because the graph moves up and down. It is hard to say whether the experiment was correct or not because there are no theoretical value or literature value to compare with the result. But since the osmolarity of the potato is constant, it is impossible to start the graph with hypertonic. It should start with hypotonic and moves to hypertonic as the concentration of the salt water increases. There are few reasons why the result of the experiment is not reliable. First of all, the standard deviation of the % mass change is so big, which means the experiment was not accurate. According to the Table 3, the % mass change of 3% concentration increases to 18% and decreases to -11%. As each trial shows the big difference each other, the experiment is not reliable. Not only 3% concentration, 2% and 4% concentration shows big difference

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