Egg Lab Investigation

Introduction

In science class, we’ve been learning about the diffusion of water and other molecules through the selectively permeable cell membrane. Our Egg Lab consisted of placing two different eggs in two different solutions, one of distilled water and the other of corn syrup. This relates to our science lesson because as we observe the reaction of the egg and the liquids, we can witness an example of what happens with the cells. An example of osmosis in real life is when we eat salty things, the salt is absorbed into our bloodstream and the water within our cells transfers to the other side to create equilibrium, which is why we get so thirsty. We need the water to come back into our cells, so that we can have an equal balance of water, outside and inside the selectively permeable cell membrane.


Predictions in the Beginning of the Experiment:

In the corn syrup egg, the egg will shrink because there is less water outside the egg which causes the water in the egg to be transferred into the corn syrup.
In the distilled water egg, the egg will grow because there is more water outside of the egg than inside of the egg, causing water to be transferred into the egg.

What did my team do all three days?

                Following the instructions, on the first day my team took the measurements of the eggs and placed them into corn syrup and distilled water for the following day. The next day, we removed the eggs from their residing liquids, and measured them once again. We took notes of our observations, and once again placed the egg into their containers. On the last day of the experiment, my team got the eggs and measured them for the last time. We also measured the volume of both the distilled water and the corn syrup, as we had been the other days, and observed how much it increased or decreased from its initial 80 ML. We popped the eggs, as shown in the video below, and took notes on what we saw afterward. Lastly, we got the notes from the other team and averaged the numbers. With our results, we created graphs and began our analysis.

The Graphs

Qualitative Data:

Egg 1:

  Day 1: Egg has a yellowish color, and has a visible yolk. It has a smooth texture and seems to be very fragile. It looks like a water baloon. After applying into Corn Syrup, egg began to float.

  Day 2: Egg seems smaller. Corn syrup solution raised. The egg got a darker color, similar to the corn syrup’s golden shade. It seems more fragile, softer, and more likely to pop.

  Day 3: It has completely faded into a corn syrup-like color. It seems to be larger than it was last time, but still smaller than Egg two. 

  Popping of egg: This one just seemed to pop when touched, the yolk was solid.

Egg 2:

  Day 1: Egg 2 is a little golder than Egg 1. It is smaller and seems to be rounder. This egg has a smoother texture and seems to be less fragile than Egg 1. After being applied to distilled water, this egg did not float.

  Day 2: This egg seemed larger, fuller and less fragile. The egg has lost its golden color and has turn a peachy white color. It has probably absorbed more water, causing its loss of color.

  Day 3: The egg’s golden color has faded completely into a very white color, similar to the distilled water’s. It is bigger than last class.

  Popping of egg: This one popped and bits seemed to fly everywhere, the inside was completely liquid.

Possible Sources of Error Related to Procedure and Equipment and Solutions:

•Not everyone might have measured the circumference of the egg in the right point every single time. A solution I thought of was to measure the length of the egg, and get the circumference at the closest possible to the half mark.

•When transferring the liquids from cup to beaker to cup in order to measure it, some drops of liquid might have been lost in the process. To solve this, we coud put the liquid originally in a cup with a built in measuring tool so then we do not have to move it around.

Conclusion: 

  The goal of our investigation was to find how the egg’s membrane demonstrated an example of the cell membrane. I think that as an experiment, it really gave us a good chance to see an example of how the selectively permeable cell membrane works. With Egg 1,  the egg decreased in size after being placed in corn syrup. The egg had originally weighed an average of 72.7 grams, and after three days, it ended with an average of 69 grams. However, a strange thing that happened was that the egg had an extreme decline from day 1 to day 2, but from day 2 to day 3, the egg's mass increased. I think that this is because the egg had lost too much water, and because of its loss, had to absorb water from the surrounding corn syrup in effort to balance both sides. I conclude that the numbers decreased because the corn syrup contained less water than the egg, osmosis made sure to distribute the water to the corn syrup, so that it could have an equal concentration of water on both sides.
  As with Egg 2, which increased in size after being placed into distilled water, it also experienced a case of osmosis. As the amount of water was greater outside of the egg’s membrane, the water was transferred into the egg in attempt to balance out the inside and outside, and thus created a very large egg. The numbers show this because, in the beginning, the egg had weighed an average of 67.8 grams, and on the final day, it weighed an average of 77.5. As with the popping of the egg, I conclude that Egg 2 popped easier than Egg 1, as shown in the video above, because it was more drenched with water than the latter. In the end, the experiment showed me a very interesting concept relating to osmosis. I realized, as well, that not only did the water distribute throughout the two substances, but the color did as well. The two eggs completely lost their original color, and became an exact replica, or close to one, of their designated liquid. Another example of osmosis is when, in plants, water and nutrients enter a plants roots through osmosis, going from the area of higher concentration (outside) to an area of lower concentration (inside).


Evaluation of Team Work and What I Learned in this Investigation:

  My team worked well and collaborated nicely. We took notes, and I think that overall, we had good teamwork. We helped each other when needed, and we efficiently completed the project. 

  In this investigation, I got to see what exactly osmosis and diffusion were like. I think it was a good experiment to help me understand about the processes that cells go through. I learned about osmosis through the cell membrane, and how it helps to transfer molecules. I also learned that with osmosis and passive transport, the cell membrane, depicted by the egg, works to keep the balance between the inside and outside. I found it interesting that, in the corn syrup investigation, the egg got smaller but then, after 2 days, it got larger again. I learned from this that the membrane works hard for the balance, until it is perfect or almost perfect.