A group of students are conducting an experiment. Since potatoes contain both sugar and water, the students use them in the experiment. The students cut six equal cubes of potato and weigh them. They place the six cubes into six different beakers containing different concentrations of sugar solutions, then weigh each potato cube after 24 hours and calculate the percent change in mass. The graph below shows the result of their experiment. Which of the statements below is a valid conclusion about this experiment? a The lower the concentration of sugar, the more likely the potato will gain mass. b The lower the concentration of sugar, the less likely the potato will gain mass. c The higher the concentration of sugar, the more likely the potato will gain mass. d The higher the concentration of sugar, the more likely the water concentration will be at equilibrium.

Question

GPT-4o mini · Answer

Based on the experiment described, the students are observing the effect of different sugar solution concentrations on the mass of potato cubes over 24 hours. In this type of experiment, we can apply the principles of osmosis.

When potatoes are placed in sugar solutions, water movement will depend on the concentration of sugar inside the potato cells compared to the surrounding solution. If the sugar solution concentration is lower than that inside the potato, water will move into the potato, causing it to gain mass. Conversely, if the sugar solution concentration is higher than in the potato, water will move out, causing the potato to lose mass.

Given this understanding, the valid conclusion from the provided options would be:

a. The lower the concentration of sugar, the more likely the potato will gain mass.

This statement accurately reflects the outcomes expected in an osmotic process where water enters the potato when it is in a lower concentration of sugar solution.