Osmosis Virtual Lab The Nature of Science

Molecules Red blood Red blood Elodea: Net Elodea: Paramecium Paramecium:
Name cell: Net cell: water Appearance : Net water Appearance
water Appearance Movement of the cell movement of the cell
Movement of the cell In/Out In/Out
In/Out
Hypotonic In Gets bigger In Gets bigger In Gets bigger
Solution
Isotonic In/Out Stays the Out Stays the In/Out Stays the
Solution same same same
Hypertonic Out Shrinks Out Shrinks Out Shrinks
Solution

Questions

1. Did water move into the cell or out of the cell while it was surrounded by hypotonic solution? Ans: the
water moved out of the cell into the hypotonic solution

2. In which direction did the water move through the cell membrane when the cell was surrounded by the
hypertonic solution? The water moved out of the cell membrane

3: Compare and contrast what happens to an animal, a plant, and a Paramecium cell in a hypotonic, an
isotonic, and a hypertonic solution. In the hypotonic the water went in the center and the animal cell got
bigger and on the hypertonic it got bigger and started to expand

4: Could Elodea or Paramecium from a freshwater lake be expected to survive if transplanted into the ocean?
Explain. I think the elodea wont survive because it might get in the water and shrinks and disappear or it will
get bigger and explode, the paramecium would just stay the same in the water

5: If you were to grill a steak, would it be better to put salt on it before or after you cooked it? Explain why,
in terms of osmosis. Put salt after cooking it, that way the meat would not lose the water. If you put the salt
before you cook it the water would leave the cell and the cell of uncooked meat and dry it out.

6: Why does salad become soggy and wilted when the dressing has been on it for a while? Explain why, in
terms of osmosis. The dressing is an example of a hypertonic solution for the cell in the salad leaves, so the
water moves out of the cell and the salad becomes soggy

7: An effective way to kill weeds is to pour salt water on the ground around the plants. Explain why the
weeds die, using the principles discovered in this Virtual Lab. Because of hypertonic solution the cell is in the
root of the weed, the roots cells lose too much water.