Explain how osmosis across the membrane affects the size of the egg.
What egg? Insect? Frog? Alligator? Chicken?
Osmosis is the movement of water molecules across a selectively permeable membrane, from an area of lower solute concentration to an area of higher solute concentration. It occurs when there is a difference in the concentration of solutes on either side of the membrane.
To understand how osmosis affects the size of an egg, we need to understand the concept of tonicity. Tonicity refers to the relative concentration of solutes on either side of a membrane. There are three types of tonicity: hypertonic, hypotonic, and isotonic.
In the case of an egg, if the egg is placed in a hypotonic solution (lower solute concentration outside the egg compared to inside), water will move from the outside solution into the egg, causing it to swell and increase in size. This is because water moves to an area of higher solute concentration, which in this case, is inside the egg.
On the other hand, if the egg is placed in a hypertonic solution (higher solute concentration outside the egg compared to inside), water will move from the inside of the egg to the outside solution. This causes the egg to shrink and decrease in size. The high solute concentration outside the egg attracts the water molecules and leads to water loss from the egg.
Finally, if the egg is placed in an isotonic solution (equal solute concentration inside and outside the egg), there will be no net movement of water, and the egg will maintain its original size.
To actually observe and understand the effect of osmosis on the size of an egg, you can conduct an experiment. Start by placing an egg in different solutions with varying tonicity levels (hypotonic, hypertonic, and isotonic). Allow the egg to sit in each solution for a certain period of time, and then carefully observe and measure the size of the egg before and after each exposure. This will help you understand the impact of osmosis on the size of the egg in different tonicity conditions.