Investigating Osmosis

Experiment #3 from Investigating Biology through Inquiry

In the Preliminary Activity, you will use a Gas Pressure Sensor to measure the rate of pressure change as water moves into or out of the cell (dialysis tube filled with sucrose solution). The pressure generated is called osmotic pressure and is in response to the overall movement of molecules, both water and sucrose, inside the dialysis cell.

After completing the Preliminary Activity, you will first use reference sources to find out more about osmosis and osmotic pressure before you choose and investigate a researchable question dealing with osmosis and osmotic pressure. Some topics to consider in your reference search are:

• osmosis
  
• diffusion
  
• active and passive transport
  
• semipermeable membrane
  
• monosaccharide/disaccaride
  
• hypotonic/hypertonic
  

Osmosis

Experiment #22 from Biology with Vernier

In this experiment, you will

• Use a Gas Pressure Sensor to investigate the relationship
  between water movement and solute concentration.
• Determine the water potential of potato cells.