A de-shelled egg is placed in tap water. The egg grows in size.
What is the best explanation for this change in size?
Responses
Water moved into the cell by osmosis because the solute concentration was higher inside the cell than outside the cell.
Water moved into the cell by osmosis because the solute concentration was higher inside the cell than outside the cell.
Water moved into the cell by diffusion because there is more water inside the cell than outside the cell.
Water moved into the cell by diffusion because there is more water inside the cell than outside the cell.
Water moved out of the cell by osmosis because the solute concentration was higher outside the cell than inside the cell.
Water moved out of the cell by osmosis because the solute concentration was higher outside the cell than inside the cell.
Ions in the water moved into the cell through diffusion because there were more ions outside the cell than inside the cell.
Water moved into the cell by osmosis because the solute concentration was higher outside the cell than inside the cell.
The best explanation for the change in size of the de-shelled egg placed in tap water is: Water moved into the cell by osmosis because the solute concentration was higher outside the cell than inside the cell.
The best explanation for the change in size of the de-shelled egg when placed in tap water would be:
Water moved into the cell by osmosis because the solute concentration was higher outside the cell than inside the cell.
To understand why this is the correct explanation, let's break it down:
Osmosis is the movement of solvent molecules (in this case, water) across a semi-permeable membrane from an area of lower solute concentration to an area of higher solute concentration. In this scenario, the egg cell and its contents act as a semi-permeable membrane.
Initially, the solute concentration is higher inside the egg cell than outside, as the egg contains proteins, sugars, and other solutes. When the de-shelled egg is placed in tap water, the solute concentration outside the cell (in the water) is lower than inside the cell.
As a result, water molecules move across the egg cell membrane from an area of lower solute concentration (the tap water) to an area of higher solute concentration (inside the egg cell). This movement of water into the cell causes an increase in its size, leading to the observed growth.
Therefore, the best explanation is that water moved into the cell by osmosis because the solute concentration was higher outside the cell than inside the cell.