Question

Some students investigated water movement in plant cells. They measured the mass of five pieces of potato. Each piece of potato was put into a different concentration of salt solution. After one hour the pieces of potato were dried and the mass of each was recorded. One of the results are shown in the table. Concentration of salt solution 20% mass (g) at start= 10.3 mass (g) after an hour= 9.8 mass (g) change = -0.5 (i) Calculate the percentage change in the mass of the potato in the 20% salt solution. (2)

Answer 1

To calculate the percentage change in the mass of the potato in the 20% salt solution, you can use the following formula:

Percentage Change = [(Final Mass - Initial Mass) / Initial Mass] * 100%

Plug in the values:

Initial Mass = 10.3 g
Final Mass = 9.8 g

Percentage Change = [(9.8 g - 10.3 g) / 10.3 g] * 100%

Calculate the numerator first:

Numerator = (9.8 g - 10.3 g) = -0.5 g

Now, plug in the numerator value:

Percentage Change = [(-0.5 g / 10.3 g)] * 100%

Now, perform the division:

Percentage Change = (-0.04854) * 100%

Percentage Change ≈ -4.85%

So, the percentage change in the mass of the potato in the 20% salt solution is approximately -4.85%.