The Effect of Different Surface Area : Volume

Ratio to the Rate of Diffusion

IB BIOLOGY HIGHER LEVEL

By: Joy Valeria Rahardja 11E
 Introduction
1.1 Background Knowledge
As cells and limitations on cell size are being studied, it is found out that cytoplasm of
the cells is responsible for the absorption of substances through chemical reactions. To enter
the cells, the substances have to pass through the plasma membrane at the surface of the cell;
therefore, a theory is found that the rate at which substances cross the membrane depends on
its surface area. Different sizes of cell will have different surface area to volume ratio, thus will
produce different rate of diffusion. This experiment is conducted to analyse and determine how
area to volume ratio affect the rate of diffusion.
Cells have limitation in terms of sizes and surface area:volume because these properties
play a crucial role in the cells’ metabolism. Surface area:volume that may not be proportional
for some cells cause them to have a diffusion rate that is too slow or too fast, resulting in
undesired effects.
The experiment will be conducted using potatoes and iodine because potatoes have a
good ability to absorb substances, yet the iodine is used to give contrast colour produced at
the surface of the potatoes later on, thus making it easier to observe.
There are plenty of factors affecting the rate of diffusion, some of these factors include
temperature, concentrations, texture, and many more. To prove whether the theory in which
the surface area:volume ratio has a significant effect on the rate of diffusion, other factors will
be kept constant, while the sizes of the potato cubes that represent the cells in the diffusion
theory will differ.
1.2 Objective:
The objective of this experiment is to examine the effect of different surface
area:volume ratio to the rate of diffusion.
1.3 Research Question:
The research question in this experiment is:
“How is the rate of diffusion of substances to enter potato dependent on its surface
area:volume ratio?”
Surface area:volume ratios are said to be one of the crucial factors that affect the rate
of diffusion – the speed of a cell’s ability to intake or remove substances in and out of cells.
Therefore, this the effect whether it increase or decrease the rate of diffusion will be examined
1.4 Null Hypothesis (H0):
The null hypothesis of this experiment states that higher surface area:volume ratio
will not result in a higher rate of diffusion in potatoes.
1.5 Hypothesis (H1):
The experiment hypothesis (H1) states that higher surface area:volume ratio will
result in a higher rate of diffusion in potatoes.
 Variables
2.1 Independent Variables
The independent variables used in the experiment are the size of potato cubes.
Table 1 - Sizes of Potatoes Used in the Rate of Diffusion Experiment
Side length Side surface Total surface Volume Surface
(in cm) area (in cm2) area (cm3) area:volume
(in cm2) ratio
Potato 1 1 1 6 1 6:1
Potato 2 1.5 2.25 13.5 3.375 4:1
Potato 3 2 4 24 8 3:1

2.2 Dependent Variable

Dependent variables in this experiment include:
- Final yellow area of the sliced potato cube (unaffected by iodide)
- Rate of diffusion which will be obtained from dividing the final yellow area of the sliced
potato cube (unaffected by iodide) by the time taken.

2.3 Controlled Variable

Table 2 – Controlled Variable of the Rate of Diffusion Experiment.
No Variables Specific Achieved By How it may affect
Quantity / result
Quality
1 Type of Potato 1 Using the Potatoes from different
same type of plant might have
potato. different level of water
inside and also the
thickness of the plasma
membrane.
2 Water Source 75 ml Use tap water Different water sources
and measured might cause the water
using a to have different
measuring temperatures and also
cup. mixture of other
substances that may
affect the overall
experiment.
3 Iodine Solution 75 ml Use the same Different iodine
iodine solution may have
solution from different solubility,
the same density, and
bottle taken concentration. These
 from school factors affect the rate
laboratory. of diffusion too.
4 External Temperature Room Putting the The temperature
temperature three plastic should be kept as
cups with constant because
iodine higher temperature
solution and cause particles to gain
potato cubes more energy, thus
inside in the increasing the rate of
same room or diffusion.
environment.
5 Ratio of iodine to water 1:1 Pouring the The ratio of iodine to
same volume water may affect the
of water and rate of diffusion
iodine into because higher
the same concentration increases
container and the rate of diffusion.
mix it well
before
distributing it
into 3 plastic
cups.
6 Time 4h Using phone The time taken should
timers and be same because more
clocks time taken for one
particular variable can
have higher amount of
iodine diffused.

3.1 Materials and Equipments

Table 3 – Materials and Equipments for the Rate of Diffusion Experiment
No. Materials and Equipments Quantity
1 Potato 1 piece
2 Iodine 75 ml
3 Water 75 ml
4 Knife 1 piece
5 Ruler 1 piece
6 Cutting Board 1 piece
7 Plastic Cups 3 pieces
8 Phone Timer 1 piece
9 Pipette 1 piece
10 Beaker 1 piece
11 Tissue 3 plies
12 Teaspoon (for stirring) 1 piece
13 Forceps 1 piece
14 Measuring Cup 1 piece
3.2 Safety Precautions
Table 4 – Safety Precautions
No. Materials and Equipment
1 Laboratory Coat
2 Gloves
3 Forceps
Purpose
To prevent iodine from spilling into clothes
To protect our skin from getting in contact with
iodine

3.3 Methodology
Preparing the potato cubes
1. Use a knife to cut potatoes according to the dimension and size listed on Table 1.1
2. For each size of the potato cube, make another similar one for repetition, thus
having 2 potato cubes for each size
Preparing iodine solution
3. Mix water and iodine in a ratio of 1:1 (75 ml of water and 75 ml of iodine).
4. Divide the solution into 3 different plastic cups.
Soaking
5. Put 2 potato cubes of the same size into each cup, and make sure that they are fully
soaked.
6. Leave the potato cubes to be soaked in for 4 hours. Use timer to give notices later
when 4 hours have passed.
Observing the result
7. After 4h, the potato cubes should be taken out of the iodine solution using forceps.
8. Rinse each potato cube using tap water and dry them using tissue or any cloth.
9. Slice each potato cubes into two, separating each slices into their size categories.
Calculating the rate of diffusion
10. In the side of the sliced potato that has yellowish part in the middle, calculate the
yellow area using a ruler (area = side x side).
11. Calculate the rate of diffusion for each slices using the following formula:
Rate of Diffusion:

Tinted Area of Potato (in cm2) Initial Area of Yellow Part of Potato - Final
Area of Yellow Part of Potato (in cm2)
Amount of Soaking Time (h) Amount of Soaking Time (h)
 Results
4.1 Results Data
This table shows the results obtained from the experiment:
Table 5 – Average Rate of Diffusion of the Soaked Potato Cubes
Size Ratio Trial Final Tinted Area of the Rate of Average
(cm3) (calculated Yellow 2
Potato Cube (in cm ) Diffusion rate of
from Area of the (cm2/h) diffusion
Table 1) Potato (cm2/h)
Cube
(in cm2)
1x1x1 6:1 1 0.3 x 0.35 (1x1) – 0.105 = 0.895 / 4 0.224
= 0.105 0.895 = 0.224
2 0.3 x 0.35 (1x1) – 0.105 = 0.895 / 4
= 0.105 0.895 = 0.224
3 0.3 x 0.35 (1x1) – 0.105 = 0.895 / 4
= 0.105 0.895 = 0.224
4 0.3 x 0.35 (1x1) – 0.105 = 0.895 / 4
= 0.105 0.895 = 0.224
1.5 x 1.5 4:1 1 1.2 x 1.2 = (1.5x1.5) - 1.44 = 0.81 / 4 0.211
x 1.5 1.44 0.81 = 0.203
2 1.2 x 1.2 = (1.5x1.5) - 1.44 = 0.81 / 4
1.44 0.81 = 0.203
3 1.2 x 1.15 (1.5x1.5) – 1.38 = 0.87/4 =
= 1.38 0.87 0.218
4 1.2 x 1.15 (1.5x1.5) – 1.38 = 0.87/4 =
= 1.38 0.87 0.218
2x2x2 3:1 1 1.8 x 1.8 = (2x2) – 3.24 = 0.67 0.67 / 4 0.168
3.24 = 0.168
2 1.8 x 1.8= (2x2) – 3.24 = 0.67 0.67 / 4
3.24 = 0.168
3 1.8 x 1.8 = (2x2) – 3.24 = 0.67 0.67 / 4
3.24 = 0.168
4 1.8 x 1.8 = (2x2) – 3.24 = 0.67 0.67 / 4
3.24 = 0.168
 Graph 1 - Surface Area : Volume Against Rate of Diffusion
of Potato Cubes

0,25 0,224
0,211
Rate of Diffusion (cm2/h)

0,2 0,168

0,15
0,1
0,05
0
3:1 4:1 6:1
Surface Area : Volume

4.2 Results and Discussion

As the size of the potato cubes decreases, in this case from [2 x 2] to [1.5 x 1.5] to [1 x
2
1] cm , the ratio of the surface area to volume ratio increases. This theory is supported by the
fact that cell growth causes the surface area to volume ratio to decrease. This is because, as a
cell grows, the volume of the cell (the internal contents) increases faster than its surface area
(its cell membrane). This is why cells are so small.
The results seen on Table 5 and Graph 1 show that the result of the experiment rejects
the null hypothesis. From Graph 1, it can be seen that the potato cubes with highest surface
area:volume ratio has the highest diffusion (6:1 ratio with 0.224cm2 diffusion rate). The ones
with smallest diffusion rate have the smallest surface area:volume ratio (3:1 ratio with 0.168
cm2/h diffusion rate). Since the diffusion rate increase as surface area:volume increase, the
ratio and diffusion is positively or directly correlated. However, higher surface area:volume
means lower size and vice versa. This means the size of the potato cubes are inversely related
with the diffusion rate. Although the surface area of the bigger size is bigger than the smaller
ones to absorb the iodine, the volume rise exceeded beyond the increase of surface area, thus
the iodine has to diffuse throughout a larger volume and takes more time. More surface
area:volume ratio on the other hand, cause the iodine to have more access to diffuse through
the exposure or pathways of the surface.
According to IB Biology by Oxford, the surface area to volume ratio of a cell membrane
is an important determinant of how fast substances will enter a particular cell (diffusion). This
experiment’s hypothesis 1 and result are also aligned with the theory suggested by IB Biology
by Oxford:
If the ratio is too small, then substances will not enter the cell as quickly as they
are required and waste products will accumulate because they are produced more
rapidly than they can be excreted. (Allott, Mindorff, 2014 – IB Biology by
Oxford)
4.3 Conclusion
The size of potato cubes affects the rate of diffusion of the cubes since each size differs
in surface area:volume. The higher the surface area:volume, the higher the rate of diffusion
will be. This cause the size of the potato cubes to have inverse relationship with the rate of
diffusion (since the smaller the size of the cubes, the higher the ratio will be, and vice versa),
while the effect of surface area:volume ratio to the rate of diffusion is direct or positively
correlated.
4.4 Evaluation and Recommendation
This experiment has limitations that may affect the reliability of the results obtained.
First, it is difficult to measure the length of yellow part of the potato cubes because the colour
of the iodine shade and the unaffected part of the potato are not clearly bordered and contrasted.
It is suggested that the water to the iodine ratio in making the solution should be thoroughly
adjusted to make the visual result contrasted and clear enough to be measured using ruler.
Second, the usage of kitchen knife to cut the potato into cubes according to the sizes
required is not able to make the lengths of each size precise. The lengths of each side of the
cube may slightly differ with the other. To further improve the preciseness of the lengths being
cut, sharper and thinner knives can be used. Cheese wire is an alternative tool that can be used
to cut the cubes in a more precise measurement as well.
Last of all, to improve the overall experiment, more size variables should be included.
By doing this, more reliable results will be obtained, and the line graph can display an expanded
range of final values.
 Appendix

Appendix i: Measurement Procedure / Data Collection

Image 1 – 1 x 1 x Image 2 – 1.5 x 1.5 x Image 3 – 2 x 2 x 2

1 cm3 potato cube 1.5 cm3 potato cube cm3 potato cube final
final result view final result view result view
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