Unit Science

Lesson Diffusion
Date ______________
Experiment Topic Demonstration of Heat Production During Respiration in Peas

ASKING QUESTIONS

What am I trying to investigate? What is my question?

I am trying to investigate whether heat is produced during respiration in peas. My
question is:
I am trying to investigate the rate of diffusion of hydrochloric acid through agar jelly and
how it relates to the size (volume and surface area) of the agar cubes.

PREDICTING WHAT WILL HAPPEN

I think that... The smallest cube (0.5 cm side length) will be the first to turn colorless
when placed in the hydrochloric acid.
My reason is that... The smallest cube has the highest surface area to volume ratio,
which should allow for faster diffusion of hydrochloric acid through the agar.
PLANNING MY INVESTIGATION-PROCEDURE
Agar jelly dyed purple with potassium permanganate
Three agar cubes of different sizes (2 cm side length, 1 cm side length, 0.5 cm side
length)
Dilute hydrochloric acid
Stopwatch or timer
Beaker
What am I going to change?
I will change the size of the agar cubes.
What am I going to keep the same? I will keep the concentration of the hydrochloric acid
and the temperature constant.

What am I going to measure? I am going to measure the time it takes for each agar cube
to turn colorless when placed in the hydrochloric acid.
What am I going to do?
Prepare three agar cubes of different sizes.
Fill a beaker with dilute hydrochloric acid.
Drop all three agar cubes into the beaker of hydrochloric acid at the same time.
Use a stopwatch or timer to record the time it takes for each cube to turn colorless.
Repeat the experiment if necessary for accuracy.

I will be careful of:

Handling chemicals safely.
Dropping the agar cubes simultaneously.
Using a stopwatch accurately.
MAKING OBSERVATIONS
How can I make my observations accurate?
Ensure that the agar cubes are dropped into the hydrochloric acid at exactly the same
time.
Use a reliable stopwatch or timer to measure the time accurately.

Which measuring devices can I use? Stopwatch or timer.

RECORDING RESULTS
How will I make my results neat and tidy?
Record the results in a table.

Will I use a table? Yes

Will I draw a chart or a graph? It may not be necessary for this experiment, but you can
create a chart if it helps visualize the data.
MAKING SENSE OF MY RESULTS
Can I see any patterns?
Analyze if there is a correlation between the size of the agar cube and the time it takes

to turn colorless in the hydrochloric acid.

Are any results unusual?

Check if there are any outliers or unexpected results and consider possible reasons.

Do the results support my prediction? Compare the results with your prediction to see if
they align.
Other questions I could ask myself...

Are there any factors other than size that might influence the rate of diffusion in this

experiment?

How does this relate to the diffusion of substances in cells?