Question
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.
The best explanation for the change in size of the de-shelled egg when placed in tap water is that 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 answer is the best explanation, let's break down the process:
Osmosis is the movement of water molecules across a semipermeable membrane from an area of lower solute concentration to an area of higher solute concentration.
In this case, the de-shelled egg is placed in tap water, which we can assume has a lower solute concentration compared to the cell of the egg. The cell of the egg has various solutes inside it, which creates a higher concentration of solutes inside the cell compared to the tap water.
As a result, water molecules from the tap water will move across the membrane of the cell through osmosis to equalize the solute concentration on both sides. Since there is a higher solute concentration inside the cell, water will move into the cell, causing it to grow in size.
In the other options given:
- Water moving into the cell by diffusion because there is more water inside the cell than outside the cell is incorrect because diffusion refers to the movement of particles from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration. It does not explain the specific movement of water into the cell due to the difference in solute concentration.
- Water moving out of the cell by osmosis because the solute concentration was higher outside the cell than inside the cell is incorrect because osmosis is the movement of water from an area of lower solute concentration to a higher solute concentration. If the solute concentration is higher outside the cell, water would move into the cell, not out of it.
- Ions in the water moving into the cell through diffusion because there were more ions outside the cell than inside the cell is incorrect because the question specifically mentions tap water, which typically has a lower concentration of ions compared to the cell of the egg. Diffusion does not account for the movement of water due to the solute concentration difference.