Method:

1. Three agar cubes with sides 1cm x 1cm x 1cm, 2cm x 2cm x 2m, 3cm x 3cm x 3cm were cut and their
surface areas were calculated.
2. Each of the three cubes were placed inside a 25mL beaker and using a separate beaker, 125mL of
Sulphuric acid was poured in covering the cubes
3. After 10 minutes the blocks were carefully removed from the beaker using a spoon and gently dried
on a paper towel ensuring the removal of no excess solution
4. Each cube was cut in half and the width of the meaning colour measured. This section was noted to
be the part of the cube not reached by the sulphuric acid.
5. The % of each cube that was affected by the sulphuric acid was then calculated using the formula

total volume of cube−volume of remaining coloured portion

%affected=
total volume of cube
6. All calculations and results were recorded in a table.

Results:
Table 1: Represents the dimensions of the whole cube and the coloured cube that remained post the diffusion process.

Length of one Dimensions of Volume of Volume of Volume of Percentage of

side of cube coloured cube coloured whole cube uncoloured cube diffused
(mm) (mm) (length x cube (mm3) (mm3) area (mm3) (%)
width x height)
10 5x5x5 125 1000 875 87.5
20 15 x 15 x 15 3375 8000 4625 57.8
30 26 x 26 x 26 17576 27000 9424 34.9

Table 2: Table showing the various SA to V ratios of each sized cube.

Length of one side Surface Area Volume (mm3) SA:V ratio Simplified Ratio
of cube (mm) (mm2)
10 6000 1000 6000: 1000 6: 1
20 24000 8000 24000: 8000 3: 1
30 54000 27000 54000: 27000 2: 1

Table 3: A final table representing the relationship of each sized cube with its average % diffusion.

Length of one side of cube (mm) Average percentage of cube diffused (%)
10 81.4
20 50.8
30 28.4
Average percentage of cube diffused after 10 minutes(%)

Figure 1: Graph representing the average

percentage of each cube that underwent
Impact of SA:V on cell diffusion efficiency diffusion with the sulphuric acid.
90
80
70
60
50 Average Results
40 Linear (Average Results)
30
20
10
0
5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Length of one side of cube (mm)
Discussion:

The practical investigates the relationship between surface area and diffusion rate. As hypothesised that as
the SA: V ration increased, the percentage of cube diffused would also increases. This is supported as the
rate of exchange in and out of the cell also increases with the ratio of surface area to volume. Less
sulphuric acid was able to enter the surface, as the ratio decreased. Due to the per unit time for diffusion
decreasing per unit volume, more sulphuric acid was able to enter the surface. More clear differences in
percentage of cube diffused between each cube size can be seen as all the cubes were placed in the acid
for equal amounts of time. This practical was perform by a class of 10 students with an average result of:
28.4% for 30mm cube, 50.6% for 20mm cube, and 81.4% for the 10mm cube. This practical explains why
cells are small in size, so they can maintain a higher surface-area-to-volume ratio and increase the rate of
diffusion. Diffusion is an extremely important process for cells, and not being able to diffuse substances
efficiently would be deadly for the cell’s survival.

The precision of this practical can be considered low as seen in Table 1. This is due to only one trial being
performed for each cube size. Not performing multiple trials of the practical can increase the chances of
random errors being present, therefore reducing the practicals precision. The scatter from the line of best
fit is high as seen in Figure 1, hence reducing both the precision and the reliability of the practical. The data
obtained from the practical, has low reliability due to human interaction. As humans conducted this
practical, the human interaction gives way for majority of random errors to occur, hence makes repeating
the practical with similar results nearly impossible. However, in an attempt to minimise the effect of the
random errors and increase the precision of the results the class average was calculated and graphed. The
resolution of the experiment was done to a maximum measurement of millimetres instead of centimetres,
as most of the measurements shown in tables 1,2 and 3 are whole numbers and decimals were not used
due to poor judgement of the lengths.

The accuracy of the experiment cannot be properly commented upon as there was no true value for this
practical. The results can however be compared to the class average data which is shown in Figure 1. When
both results the accuracy of the practical in relation to the class average can be considered as high due to
the minimal difference between the values calculated. As seen in the trend line in figure 1, at the length of
0mm, 108% of the cube would be diffused, this is incorrect since the percentage of diffusion in the cube
cannot exceed 100%. This shows the inaccuracy of the data obtained from this experiment which could be
the result due to the presence of systematic errors.

This practical can be considered to have high validity meaning that the practical can be repeated without
any complications. The validity of the practical can be considered high as all the variables were successfully
controlled in the method. The variables include the temperature of the environment, type of used and
concentration of Sulfuric acid. Both the accuracy of the practical and the validity can be further increased
by repeating the practical on a different day but with the same variables controlled.

Throughout the practical, several random and systematic errors may have occurred and impacted the
practical in various ways. Below are 4 examples of such cases.

The agar cubes had not been cut exact to the initial measurements, resulting in cubes being smaller or
larger than the intended size. This would affect the Surface-area: Volume if the SA: V changes, the amount
of sulfuric acid being exchanged in the cell also changes. Whether the Surface-area: Volume ratio was
higher or lower than the designated amount for the certain cube size can increase or decrease the % of the
cube diffused. If This error can be minimised by using a hand wire saw to cut the cubes instead of a knife
ensuring closer measurements to the intended sizes.
Incorrect measurements were made during the end of the practical. When measuring the cubes after they
had been taken out of the acid, all of the three cubes were cut into half and measured the cross-sectional
volume of the inside-coloured cube. This measuring technique can cause incorrect measurements to be
obtained as different errors could have been present. These incorrect measurements would then be used
to give inappropriate readings of the dependent variable.

The wooden ruler used to measure the agar cube could have shrunk or swell. Shrinking and swelling in
wood occurs as the wood changes moisture content. For example, when the air is dry, the wooden ruler
loses moisture and shrinks. Likewise, when the air is humid, wood adsorbs moisture and swells. This
change in the size of the ruler can change the measurement markings thus showing incorrect
measurements. This error was identified during the early stage of the practical, hence plastic rulers were
used as plastic doesn’t not change much in size.

The sulphuric acid solutions could have gone through the process of degradation. Using degraded sulphuric
acid can result in a change in concentration of the solution. A change of concentration can affect the
diffusion rate. The greater the different in concentration, the quicker the rate of diffusion. This would also
affect the accuracy of the data obtained, as the concentration of the sulfuric acid would not be same as
method, resulting in false data.

Conclusion
The aim of this practical was to test the effect of the SA: V on the amount of diffusion occurring when
placed in Sulfuric Acid. The results from this practical supported the hypothesis and found that as the SA: V
increase, the % of the cube diffused also increase. This is believed as when a cell’s surface area increase,
the amount of substance diffusing into the cell also increases. Although the results showed a definitive
trend, there was a limitation present that the size of the agar cube was not the exact intended value listed
in the method due to inaccurate cutting, meaning that the agar cube had a differed rate of diffusion.