Name: Date:
Gummy Bear Osmosis
Lab #: __________
Purpose: to investigate the movement of water into and out of a Gummy Bear
Problem: Where is the concentration of water molecules highest, tap water or salt water?
Background Information:
Molecules are in constant motion, and tend to move from areas of higher concentrations to
lesser concentrations. Diffusion is defined as the movement of molecules from an area of high
concentration to an area of low concentration. The diffusion of water molecules through a
selectively permeable membrane is known as OSMOSIS.
Selectively permeable means that some molecules can move through the membrane while
others cannot. Movement through membranes is called transport. Diffusion and osmosis are passive
forms of transport; this means that do not need energy to move areas of high concentration to areas
of low concentration. Active transport requires energy to transport molecules from low concentration
to high concentration.
Osmosis is the movement (transport) of water
(small dots) through a selectively permeable
membrane from an area of high concentration
to an area of low concentration.
Vocabulary: define the following terms
1. Concentration:
2. Diffusion:
3. Osmosis:
4. Membrane:
5. Selectively Permeable:
6. Transport:
7. Active Transport:
8. Passive Transport:
