Shipwrecked Sailor Name: _____________________

Introduction: A shipwrecked sailor is stranded on a small deserted island with no fresh water to drink. She knows she could
last and survive without food for up to a month, but if she didn't have water to drink, she would be dead within a week.
Hoping to postpone the inevitable, her thirst drove her to drink the salty seawater. She was dead in two days. Why do you
think drinking seawater killed the sailor faster than not drinking any water at all? Today we explore the cause of the sailor's
death. We'll prepare solutions of saltwater to represent the sea, and we'll cut up slices of vegetables to represent the sailor.
Vegetables are made of cells, as is the sailor!

Objective: Figure out why the sailor died. What is happening at the cellular level?

Materials: Potato, 2 plastic cups with lids, marker, saltwater, fresh water, paper, pencil, electronic balance

Procedure:
Day 1 – potato directions
1. Take 2 plastic cups and label them with the solution that will be placed in each one --- salt water, and fresh water. Also make
sure your groups names are on it so you can get back the correct pieces tomorrow.
2. Get 4 equal sized pieces of potato. Two will eventually go in saltwater and 2 will eventually go in fresh water. Take initial mass
values of two pieces that will go into saltwater and calculate the average mass. Also gently squeeze the pieces of potato to fill in
the initial turgidity. Repeat for the other 2 pieces that will go into the freshwater. Put the initial average mass in the data table
below.
3. Now with the vegetables in the cups, fill each cup 2/3's full of the correct solution. Make sure to cover the vegetables
completely with saltwater or fresh water. Make sure the cups are labeled and have a lid on them. Set these cups aside.

Day 2
1. Carefully remove the vegetables from the freshwater solution & carefully pat it dry on a paper towel.
2. Record the turgidity of the vegetables on your data table. (day 2)
3. Measure & record the mass of the freshwater vegetables. Take the average mass of the 2 pieces of vegetable in each cup!
4. Repeat steps 1-3 for the saltwater vegetables
5. Clean up your equipment & area and return materials to their proper place. DO NOT THROW AWAY PLASTIC CUPS!

Data:

Results of Vegetable Cells

Did water
Final
Average Average Change in Increase or enter or Initial
Turgidity
Solution Initial mass Final mass decrease in leave the Turgidity
(g) (g) mass (g) (soft or
mass? vegetable (soft or firm)
(day1) (day2) firm)
cells?

Fresh water

Saltwater

Don’t forget to answer the results and conclusions questions on the other side. Complete sentences unless asked otherwise.
Results & Conclusions: (in complete sentences unless asked otherwise)

1. Did any of the vegetables change in their turgidity (flexibility)? If so, which ones (saltwater or freshwater) changed?

2. Did any of the vegetables change in mass? If so, was it an increase or a decrease?

3. Using questions 1 and 2 what is the relationship between turgidity and mass change?

4. Explain what you think is happening at the cellular level of the vegetable cells in fresh water that could be causing this change.

5. Draw a picture of what is happening at the cellular level of the vegetable cells in fresh water to back up your answer to #4.

6. Explain what you think is happening at the cellular level of the vegetable cells in saltwater that could be causing this change.

7. Draw a picture of what is happening at the cellular level of the vegetable cells in saltwater to back up your answer to #6.

8. Explain using evidence what happened to the sailor’s cells. How did that possibly affect her organs causing her to die?