In our gummy bear lab experiment, we experienced osmosis, the water version of diffusion. My lab partner, Maggie, and I were given two yellow gummy bears. The first one measured at 10 mm in both thickness and width, and 21 mm in height. The approximate volume was 2,100 mm^3, and the mass was 2.567 grams. The second one was 11 mm in thickness, 9 mm in width, and 20 mm in height. The volume was 1,980 mm^3 and the mass was 2.56 grams. After our initial measurements, we placed the first gummy bear in a plastic bag and sealed it. Then we gently dropped the other one in 150 mL of water. We then let both of those sit for 24 hours.
The next day, we grabbed our cup and plastic bag, and began to take data. The gummy bear in the bag stayed roughly the same. The thickness and width
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This means that there are an equal number of molecules inside and outside the membrane. In our lab, some of the water passed through the gummy bear’s semi-permeable membrane, and that is what caused it to expand greatly. It was also very close to reaching an equilibrium, because there were close to the same amount of water molecules on both sides of the cell membrane.
This experiment taught us a lot about osmosis, but it could be modified or improved in one particular way. In my opinion, if the brand of the gummy bear was different (maybe Haribo or Black Forest compared to store brand), we might have been able to take it out of the cup and the ears would not have fallen off. You might not taste the difference, but there are most likely different ingredients in them.
In conclusion, the gummy bear lab experiment was a great exposure to osmosis in real life, and I found it very interesting to see the changes in the gummy bears when we were observing and measuring