Jouya Najafi / Biology 12/ Ms Chen

How Fresh Water and Salt Water

Affects Mass and Length of a
Potato
Introduction
A stranded sailor without supplies attempted to prolong her life by
drinking seawater. Instead of surviving for 7 days without water, she had
perished within 2 days by drinking seawater. Why had drinking seawater
killed her faster than not drinking at all? To determine how the sailor died,
potato slices (representing the sailor's cells) will be submerged in different
salt water solutions (representing the seawater).
Purpose
The purpose of this experiment is to determine how the sailor perished.
There is a way to determine this. Potato slices will act as the sailor's cells.
Salt water will act as seawater. Different potato slices will be submerged in
the salt water and fresh water. How the different types of water affect the
slices will determine how sea water affected the sailor. The fresh water will
act as the control group since fresh water is the norm for people to intake.
Hypothesis
If the potato slices are submerged in salt water, the mass and length of
the potato slices will decrease. This is because the slices have a higher
concentration of water causing the water from the slices to move to the salt
water as it has a lower concentration of water. This process is known as
osmosis.
Materials

1 or 2 large potatoes
sharp knife
salt
water
ruler
food scale

1 clean 500 mL bottle or jar

3 clean 250-500 mL bottles
or jars
paper towel
stove
pot

Jouya Najafi / Biology 12/ Ms Chen

tape and pen for labelling

4 plastic or glass cups or
mugs
Saran wrap

rubber bands to go around

cups
cork or apple corer (if
available)

Procedure

1. Slice a potato into four equal slices

i.
Using a knife, slice one side of the potato. Place the flat end of
the potato on the
board. Cut four identical pieces out of the
potato. The pieces should measure 1cm x 1cm x 8cm
ii.
Once you have the four slices, record their individual lengths and
masses.
2. Create the seawater solution

i.
In a pot, boil 500mL of water. Turn off the stove. Add a
teaspoon of salt and
thoroughly stir the solution.
Continue adding a teaspoon of salt and stirring until
salt
crystals are visible on the bottom of the pot. This solution is now a
saturated
salt solution. When the solution reaches room
temperature, pour it into a 500mL
jar. Label the jar as
"100% seawater".

ii.
Use the solution labelled "100% to make 100mL of three
other salt water
solutions:

*"10% sea water"

*"5% sea water"

*1% sea water"

It is easy to create these solutions. Let's say the desired

solution = X%. You
would add XmL of the "100% seawater"
solution with enough pure water to equal 100mL. For example to make
20% sea water solution, you would add 20mL of
the "100%
seawater" solution plus 80mL of pure water to equal 100mL
3. Label each cup one different number of 10%, 5%, 1%, and 0%. Pour
the 100mL solutions into their identified cups.
4. Place one slice of potato into each of the cups. Identify which potato
weights and measures what amount to ensure you can identify any
changes in the potatoes mass or length. Record the lengths and
masses into Table 1 below. Make sure your measurements are accurate
to complete the experiment properly.
5. Cover each cup with saran wrap and a rubber band and place the cups
in a safe are where they would not be tampered with.
6. After 24 hours, remove each potato while not mixing up which potato
came from where. Dry the slices on paper towel. Measure and record

there lengths and masses in Table 2 below. To show an increase or

decrease in the masses or lengths, use + or -.
7. Graph the Mass data in figure 1. The independent variable is what you
changed and is placed on the x-axis. The dependent variable is what
occurs because of your change and is placed on the y-axis. Data points
should be in %'s. Once the data is entered, a line of best fit should be
placed on the graph

Observations

When creating each salt solution, the water had turned from clear to a
white cloudy solution.

Usually when a sliced potato is left out in air it would discolor. Yet when
it was submerged, there was no color change.

When each solution was left in the cups, a thin layer of salt had
collected on the surface of the water.

Data Tables

Table 1. Creating Diluted "Seawater" Solutions

Dilution of
Solution

Volume of
"100%
Seawater" (mL)

Volume of Pure
Water (mL)

Total Volume of
Diluted Solution
(mL)

10%

10

90

100

5%

95

100

1%

99

100

0%
(pure water)

100

100

Table 2. Mass and Length of Potato Slice Before and After Being Left in Various "% Seawater"
Solutions for 24 Hours

10%
"Seawater
" Solution

5%
"Seawater
" Solution

1%
"Seawater
" Solution

0%
"Seawater
" Solution
(Pure
Water)

Initial
Length of
Potato
(mm)

80

80

80

80

Final
Length of
Potato
(mm)

71

77

79

80

Change in
Potato
Length
(mm)

-9

-3

-1

Initial
Mass
Potato (g)

Final
Mass
Potato (g)

Change in
Potato
Mass (g)

Turgidity
of Potato
(flaccid or
crisp)
Predicted
Tonicity of
Potato
Compared
to Solution
(Hyperton
ic,
Isotonic,
or
Hypotonic
)

10.5

10.3

10.9

10.4

9.9

10.8

10.4

-2.5

-0.4

-0.1

Flaccid

Hypotonic

Partially
Flaccid

Hypotonic

Crisp

Hypotonic

Crisp

Isotonic

Change of Potato Slices Left in Various "% Seawater" Solutions for 24 Hours

Change of Potato Slices Left in Various "% Seawater" Solutions for 24 Hours
12
10
8
6
Mass of potato slices (g) 4
2
0

Initial
Final

10%
0% 20%

Concentration of saltwater solutions

Pre-laboratory questions

How did the sailor die faster from drinking sea water instead of not
drinking at all?

Analysis/Discussion

1.
Based off Table 2, after 24hrs the salt water solutions have all
reduced the mass and length of the slices. 2.The higher the
concentration of salt was, the more reduction there was in mass and
length. My hypothesis "If the potato slices are submerged in salt water,
the mass and length of the potato slices will decrease." is true based
off of the data. The potato slice in the 10% solution had shrunk the
most at -2.5g and -9mm. Both the mass and lengths of all the slices in
salt solutions have shrunken. 3. Osmosis was responsible for the
changes in length of potato slices. Osmosis is the movement of water
from an area of higher water concentration to a lower concentration.
Diffusions is the movement of solute from a higher concentration to a
lower concentration. 4. In Table 2 the slice in fresh water had no
change in length or mass. This means that it was isotonic so the slice
has the same salt concentration as the fresh water. 5. The masses can

alter based on what is entering or exiting the cells. In this case osmosis
occurred. water was leaving the potato cells. This is how the potato's
lost mass. 6. Hypertonic is when one solution has a larger solute
concentration compared to another. Hypotonic is when one solution
has less solute concentration compared to another. Isotonic is when
two solution share the same solute concentration. 7. A 10gram potato
in a 0.1% solution would become 9.97grams. In 2% the mass becomes
9.4grams. In 4.8% the mass becomes 8.56grams. 8. Wilted celery will
become crisp in a glass of pure water because the celery has a higher
solute concentration than the water. This causes the water to enter the
celery. As the water enters, the celery reforms into its original state. 9.
Road salt causes damage to street side plants since water exits the
plants into the salt. This cause the plant cells to deform which is not
healthy for the plants. 10. Based off the results of the experiment, I
believe that the sailor died faster because of osmosis. The seawater
had a higher solute concentration than the sailor. This would have
caused the sailor to become dehydrated even faster than usual. The
reason why the decreased mass and length shows that osmosis has
taken place is because when water exits the cells, they shrink, similar
to what happened to the slices. Dehydration killed the sailor.