Student Name: Shalom Edwards

Teachers Name: Miss. Burton

Subject: Human and Social Biology

Tasks: Diffusion and Osmosis

 Table of Content

Page

Task 1: Diffusion in liquids 1

Task 2: Osmosis in Living things 2

Task 3: Differences between Osmosis and Diffusion. 3

 Introduction

This project is based on Osmosis and diffusion. It contains experiment on Osmosis and also

Diffusion. The first task is about diffusion in liquids with the use of potassium permanganate in

water. Furthermore, task 2 is based on osmosis in living things where sugar solution and water is

going to be tested on potatoes in a petri dish. Finally, the last aspect of the project gives a short

explanation on the differences between osmosis and diffusion.

 Experiments: Osmosis and Diffusion
Diffusion

Task 1: Diffusion in liquids

Aim: To demonstrate the process of diffusion

Requirements: Water, Clear dinking glass, Potassium Permanganate

Method:

1. Take the clear drinking glass.

2. Fill half of the glass with water.
3. Add Potassium Permanganate to it.
4. Then observe what happen to the Potassium Permanganate and also the water.
5. Leave the drinking glass.

Observation: The modules of the Potassium Permanganate start dissolving into the water. The
modules move away from the area of high concentration to low concentration in the drinking
glass. The Potassium Permanganate spread throughout the glass. The water in the drinking glass
changes colour from pink to purple.

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 Osmosis

Task 2: Osmosis in living things

Aim: To demonstrate the process of osmosis in a potato.

Requirements: A Petri-dish, 3 Potatoes, Water and Sugar solution.

Method:

1. Cut 3 potatoes equally.

2. Place water into the petri-dish.
3. Make a hollow in all 3 potatoes.
4. Place potatoes into petri-dish.
5. Pour sugar solution into potato 1 which is raw
6. Pour sugar solution into potato 2 which is boiled.
7. Then add water into potato 3 which is raw.
8. Leave the potatoes undisturbed for 2 minutes.

Observation: Through the process of osmosis, water will move from an area of high water
concentration to an area of low water concentration. The sugar solution in potato 1, the sugar
concentrated in the bottom of the solution, while potato 2 absorbs the sugar solution. However,
in potato 3 the water remains the same.

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 The difference between Osmosis and Diffusion

Osmosis is a process by which water molecules tend to pass through a semipermeable membrane
from a less concentrated solution into a more concentrated.

Diffusion is the movement of ions from an area of high concentration to an area of low
concentration until evenly distributed.

However; both diffusion and osmosis are passive transport processes, meaning they do not
require any input of extra energy to occur. In addition, diffusion and osmosis particles move
from an area of higher concentration to one of lower concentration.

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