Cell BiologyDeep Dive
Required Practical 3: Investigating Osmosis
Part of Cell Biology Practical Investigations — GCSE Biology
This deep dive covers Required Practical 3: Investigating Osmosis within Cell Biology Practical Investigations for GCSE Biology. Comprehensive practical skills, experimental design, data analysis, microscopy techniques, and scientific methodology in cell biology It is section 5 of 17 in this topic. Use this deep dive to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Topic position
Section 5 of 17
Practice
20 questions
Recall
20 flashcards
Required Practical 3: Investigating Osmosis
Equipment
- Potato tubers (5-6 large potatoes)
- Cork borer (10mm diameter)
- Ruler
- Balance (±0.01g)
- Sucrose solutions (0.0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1.0 mol dm⁻³)
- Beakers
- Paper towels
Method
- Cut potato cylinders using cork borer
- Trim to exactly 30mm length
- Weigh each cylinder and record mass
- Place in different concentrations of sucrose solution
- Leave for 30 minutes
- Remove, pat dry, and reweigh
- Calculate percentage change in mass
- Plot graph and find isotonic point
Variables
- Independent variable: Sucrose concentration
- Dependent variable: Change in mass of potato
- Control variables: Temperature, time, potato type, cylinder size
Calculations
Percentage change in mass = ((Final mass - Initial mass) ÷ Initial mass) × 100