Hour long argument with biology professor about OSMOSIS

[mercanucaribe]

Originally posted by: PizzaDude

Originally posted by: Deeko
Professor > community college student

nuff said. Next question?

Next question: Do you two have any idea what osmosis is?

 

[Banana]

I take it you guys haven't learned the SCIENTIFIC METHOD?

Just repeat the goddang experiment and STFU.

 

[Sex Smurf]

Just remember to use HIS answer on the exam or else this argument will be like deja vu.

 

[mercanucaribe]

Originally posted by: Sex Smurf
Just remember to use HIS answer on the exam or else this argument will be like deja vu.

Hell no. If he doesn't like my answer, I'll take it to the dean, if community colleges have deans. I already emailed my vegetation ecology (at UT) to verify, and will print the response.

 

[rgwalt]

If the egg in salt water swelled, it means that it was taking on water, which means the egg would be a higher salt concentration than the salt water solution. The same would be true of the egg in the distilled water. It sounds like you got your DI and salt water beakers mixed up. Try repeating the experiment.

In some rare cases you can have a concentration difference without a difference in chemical potential, which means that even though you would expect diffusion to occur, it doesn't. This does not sound like one of those instances, especially for intro to biology. I didn't learn about this type of phenomena until I got to a graduate level chemical engineering thermodynamics class.

Ryan

 

[rgwalt]

Originally posted by: Deeko
Professor > community college student

If everyone followed this sort of reasoning, we wouldn't be anywhere near where we are today technologically. Everyone said that man wasn't suppose to fly...

The bio prof is wrong, assuming the OP has his facts straight.

R

 

[mercanucaribe]

I do not understand how my professor could sit there and say that an egg has higher salt concentration than salt water, and then say that it's equal to the deionized water. When I said that deionized water has no ions he said, "How do you know it has no ions?" Alright, it has a few ions. More than salt water? I even drew a sequence of pictures that he agreed with, showing that as water becomes less salty, the egg will shrink less and eventually swell. Then when I got to the point where there was no salt, and said that the egg would swell more, he said, "No." This guy is really smart, so I don't see how he could not understand this.
I should have bet him some money that he was wrong and that there was an experimental error.

Someone verify this simple logic for me. If an egg has higher solute concentration than salt water, it HAS TO HAVE higher salt concentration than distilled water. If anyone thinks it can be the same as distilled water, apply for a job teaching at your local CC.

 

[jamerdean]

Originally posted by: iluvtruenos
Egg has less salt than saltwater hence the water comes from the salt water to the egg.

The egg has more salt than deionized water, hence the water comes out from the egg to the deionized water.

That's why what happened happened.




(If I'm wrong, take into account the fact that I just started saucing up.)

this is correct

-bio teacher

 

[mercanucaribe]

Originally posted by: jamerdean

Originally posted by: iluvtruenos
Egg has less salt than saltwater hence the water comes from the salt water to the egg.

The egg has more salt than deionized water, hence the water comes out from the egg to the deionized water.

That's why what happened happened.




(If I'm wrong, take into account the fact that I just started saucing up.)

this is correct

-bio teacher

So you're saying that if you put saltwater in a semipermeable membrane, and put it in a container filled with fresh water, pure H20 will move from the saltwater into the container, leaving dry salt in the membrane? You've just solved the world's water problems. Your Nobel Prize is in the mail.

Edit: ^What's wrong with the public education system.

 

[alkemyst]

osmosis is the practice of using your text to sleep upon in class. I smoked all bio / zoo classes and managed to get accepted to a few Pharmacy schools *prior* to my Associates degree (each had about a term of requirements to pass though).

Don't argue with a professor though (as an undergrad unless you already know the answer, if you did you'd have posted the reasons you are right, not asking why), chances are you are on a tangent to the real issue.

 

[Mo0o]

Originally posted by: mercanucaribe

Originally posted by: jamerdean

Originally posted by: iluvtruenos
Egg has less salt than saltwater hence the water comes from the salt water to the egg.

The egg has more salt than deionized water, hence the water comes out from the egg to the deionized water.

That's why what happened happened.




(If I'm wrong, take into account the fact that I just started saucing up.)

this is correct

-bio teacher

So you're saying that if you put saltwater in a semipermeable membrane, and put it in a container filled with fresh water, pure H20 will move from the saltwater into the container, leaving dry salt in the membrane? You've just solved the world's water problems. Your Nobel Prize is in the mail.

Edit: ^What's wrong with the public education system.

I'm confused, so the egg DOES have more salt content than the saltwater? Otherwise it shouldn't swell...

 

[Mo0o]

Originally posted by: jamerdean

Originally posted by: iluvtruenos
Egg has less salt than saltwater hence the water comes from the salt water to the egg.

The egg has more salt than deionized water, hence the water comes out from the egg to the deionized water.

That's why what happened happened.




(If I'm wrong, take into account the fact that I just started saucing up.)

this is correct

-bio teacher

You need to have your teaching license revoked.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: mercanucaribe

So you're saying that if you put saltwater in a semipermeable membrane, and put it in a container filled with fresh water, pure H20 will move from the saltwater into the container, leaving dry salt in the membrane? You've just solved the world's water problems. Your Nobel Prize is in the mail.

Edit: ^What's wrong with the public education system.

hmm whether your thoughts are right or wrong you do realize the theory is dead due to saltwater being >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>&gt
>>>>>>>>>> than fresh.

hell of a way for making salt though, just don't get thirsty manufacturing it.

:beer::beer:

 

[mercanucaribe]

Originally posted by: alkemyst
osmosis is the practice of using your text to sleep upon in class. I smoked all bio / zoo classes and managed to get accepted to a few Pharmacy schools *prior* to my Associates degree (each had about a term of requirements to pass though).

Don't argue with a professor though (as an undergrad unless you already know the answer, if you did you'd have posted the reasons you are right, not asking why), chances are you are on a tangent to the real issue.

I did post the answer! Water moves from an area of higher water concentration to an area of lower water concentration. If an egg has lower water concentration (more salt) than salt water, it logically has lower water concentration than distilled water. That's all there is to it.

 

[mercanucaribe]

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: mercanucaribe

So you're saying that if you put saltwater in a semipermeable membrane, and put it in a container filled with fresh water, pure H20 will move from the saltwater into the container, leaving dry salt in the membrane? You've just solved the world's water problems. Your Nobel Prize is in the mail.

Edit: ^What's wrong with the public education system.

hmm whether your thoughts are right or wrong you do realize the theory is dead due to saltwater being >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> than fresh.

hell of a way for making salt though, just don't get thirsty manufacturing it.

:beer::beer:

It's not my theory. It's based on what jamerdean claims osmosis is.

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: jamerdean

Originally posted by: iluvtruenos
Egg has less salt than saltwater hence the water comes from the salt water to the egg.

The egg has more salt than deionized water, hence the water comes out from the egg to the deionized water.

That's why what happened happened.




(If I'm wrong, take into account the fact that I just started saucing up.)

this is correct

-bio teacher

WTF? No, that is not correct.

This really isn't rocket science folks.

Just remember that it tries to equalize.

There is a higher concentration of solutes in salt water or syrup than in distilled water. Therefor, the distilled water tries to equalize the salt water(with itself).