Isabelle Bury C2
Surface Area : Volume ratio
Introduction:
A cell is described as the basic unit of all living things and is commonly known as a building block for these living organisms. Cells are considered the fundamental unit of life as it relates to the metabolic processes occurring which allow organisms to stay alive. Cells are responsible for providing structure within organisms, absorbing nutrients from food sources and converting nutrients into energy. Cells also contain various organelles which are also responsible for carrying out specialised functions within the cell. For example, ribosomes are an organelle found in plant cells and are responsible for creating protein synthesis, which is where ribonucleic …show more content…
Diffusion occurs when these particular particles are able to freely move. There are many factors that can affect diffusion, such as the particle size, concentration difference, temperature and diffusion distance. Furthermore, the surface area-to-volume ratio will effect the rate of diffusion, as when the surface area-to-volume ratio decreases, consequently diffusion will be less efficient. Likewise, the larger the object the smaller the surface area, resulting in less diffusion.
Aim: To determine the effect of surface area to volume ratios on the movement of water through potato cubes.
Hypothesis: If the size of the potato cube is larger then the surface area to volume ratio will be smaller.
Accept of Reject Hypothesis: For the results to accept the hypothesis the larger potato cube (2X2X2cm in dimension) will need to decrease in mass. This will mean that the smaller potato cube (1X1X1cm in dimension) will need to increase in size. Whereas, for the results to reject the hypothesis the large potato cube will need to increase in mass. This will also mean that the smaller potato cube will need to decrease in …show more content…
All of the materials were collected and placed on the bench.
2. Two potato cubes were cute, one had dimensions of 1X1X1cm, the second had dimensions of 2X2X2cm.
3. 50mL of salt solution was placed into a beaker.
4. The potato cubes were weighed and the mass of each was recorded.
5. The potato cubes were placed into the beaker simultaneously and the stopwatch started.
6. After 20 minutes the potato cubes were removed from the solution.
7. The potato cubes were weighed again and the mass was recorded.
Safety Procedures:
Knife – knifes can be very sharp, so to ensure that when using it nothing goes wrong, they should be held by the handle, the blade should be pointing at the ground when moving to bench and fingers should always be curled under when cutting.
Tweezers – Tweezers can sometimes be quite sharp, so appropriate use and concentration should be applied when in use.
Salt solution – The salt solution could be harmful if used inappropriately, so ensure that it always keeps away from the eyes.
Results:
Results Table:
Group Results:
Dimension Of The Cube Mass At Time = 0 (g) Mass After 20 Minutes (g) Change In Mass (g) % Change In Mass
1X1X1 cm 1.3g 1.13g -0.17g