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BiologyBiology75 views·Updated 11 Sept 2026·2 pages

Understanding Osmosis Practical: GCSE AQA Guide

P
Poppy@poppy_s

Ever wondered why chips go soggy when you put salt...

1
of 2
Osmosis Required Practical – page 1

Setting Up Your Osmosis Experiment

You'll be investigating how osmosis works by watching water move in and out of potato cells. Osmosis is simply the diffusion of water from a weak solution to a strong solution through a partially permeable membrane - think of it as water trying to balance things out.

Your independent variable is what you're changing - the concentration of sugar solution. The dependent variable is what you're measuring - how much the potato's mass changes. Keep everything else the same: temperature, potato size, volume of solution, and timing.

Start by cutting potato cylinders with a cork borer or knife, making them roughly the same size. Weigh each piece carefully and record the mass. Then prepare your sugar solutions at different concentrations: distilled water (0%), 0.2 mol/dm³, 0.4 mol/dm³, and 0.6 mol/dm³.

Top Tip: Pat the potato dry before weighing to get accurate results - surface moisture can mess up your measurements!

2
of 2
Osmosis Required Practical – page 2

Understanding Your Results

Place each potato piece in a different solution and wait 30 minutes. After removing them, gently pat off surface moisture and reweigh. Calculate the percentage change in mass to see what's happened.

In distilled water, your potato gained mass because water moved into the cells through osmosis. The potato cells had a higher concentration of dissolved substances than pure water, so water rushed in.

In strong sugar solutions, the potato lost mass as water left the cells. The sugar solution outside was more concentrated than inside the potato, pulling water out through the cell membranes.

Remember: Water always moves from where there's less dissolved stuff to where there's more dissolved stuff - it's trying to even things out!

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BiologyBiology75 views·Updated 11 Sept 2026·2 pages

Understanding Osmosis Practical: GCSE AQA Guide

P
Poppy@poppy_s

Ever wondered why chips go soggy when you put salt on them? It's all down to osmosis - the movement of water through cell membranes. This practical investigation shows you how to test osmosis using potatoes and different sugar solutions.

1
of 2
Osmosis Required Practical – page 1

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Setting Up Your Osmosis Experiment

You'll be investigating how osmosis works by watching water move in and out of potato cells. Osmosis is simply the diffusion of water from a weak solution to a strong solution through a partially permeable membrane - think of it as water trying to balance things out.

Your independent variable is what you're changing - the concentration of sugar solution. The dependent variable is what you're measuring - how much the potato's mass changes. Keep everything else the same: temperature, potato size, volume of solution, and timing.

Start by cutting potato cylinders with a cork borer or knife, making them roughly the same size. Weigh each piece carefully and record the mass. Then prepare your sugar solutions at different concentrations: distilled water (0%), 0.2 mol/dm³, 0.4 mol/dm³, and 0.6 mol/dm³.

Top Tip: Pat the potato dry before weighing to get accurate results - surface moisture can mess up your measurements!

2
of 2
Osmosis Required Practical – page 2

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  • Improve your grades
  • Join milions of students

By signing up you accept Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Understanding Your Results

Place each potato piece in a different solution and wait 30 minutes. After removing them, gently pat off surface moisture and reweigh. Calculate the percentage change in mass to see what's happened.

In distilled water, your potato gained mass because water moved into the cells through osmosis. The potato cells had a higher concentration of dissolved substances than pure water, so water rushed in.

In strong sugar solutions, the potato lost mass as water left the cells. The sugar solution outside was more concentrated than inside the potato, pulling water out through the cell membranes.

Remember: Water always moves from where there's less dissolved stuff to where there's more dissolved stuff - it's trying to even things out!

We thought you’d never ask...

Our AI Companion is a student-focused AI tool that offers more than just answers. Built on millions of Knowunity resources, it provides relevant information, personalised study plans, quizzes, and content directly in the chat, adapting to your individual learning journey.

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