2. What happens when gummy bears are put in water, salt water, vinegar, and baking soda water?

3. If gummy bears are soaked in liquids overnight, then they will expand in size.

4. 4 clear cups
salt
4 gummy bears
50 mL of vinegar
50 mL of water
baking soda
tablespoon
metric ruler
measuring cup
metric scale

5. Gather four same-sized cups
Pour 50 mL of water into three cups
Pour 50 mL of vinegar into one cup
Add a tablespoon of salt into one of the water cups and stir
Add a tablespoon of baking soda into a different water cup and stir
Gather four gummy bears (a red, an orange, a yellow & a green)
Measure the mass (in grams) and length (in cm) of each gummy bear
Then record results on data table
Place the red gummy bear in the water cup
Place the yellow gummy bear in the vinegar cup
Place the orange gummy bear in the salt water cup
Place the green gummy bear in the baking soda water cup
After 24 hours, gently remove gummy bears from their respective cups
Take new mass and length measurements and compare to previously collected data
Record any additional observations

6. Control Variables: time and gummy bear
*The amount of time between data collections will remain consistent at 24 hours.
*Also, the brand of gummy bears used will remain the same. Black Forest gummy bears were tested in this experiment.
Independent Variable: liquids being tested
*50 mL of water
*50 mL of salt water
*50 mL of baking soda water
*50 mL of vinegar

7. After 24 hours, all gummy bears increased in mass and in length
After 24 hours, all gummy bears increased in mass and in length. The least amount of change happened when the gummy bear was soaked in salt water. The greatest amount of change happened when the gummy bear was soaked in vinegar. See graphs for the measured changes.

8. All of the gummy bears expanded in size due to osmosis
All of the gummy bears expanded in size due to osmosis. Osmosis is the ability for water to be absorbed by seeping through a semi-permeable membrane. Gummy bears are made up of water, sugar, and gelatin. Like a sponge, gummy bears will absorb water but the gelatin keeps the bears from dissolving in the water. The gummy bears always grew the most in vinegar. The vinegar (which is actually a dilute solution of acetic acid) almost completely dissolved the gelatin which is why these bears were really falling apart!

9. Where else is osmosis useful in the real-world
Where else is osmosis useful in the real-world? Making tea is an example of osmosis because when tea bags are put in hot water, the tea dilutes to the rest of the water through the thin material of the bag. Storing iceberg lettuce and carrots in water keeps these vegetables crispy prior to making a salad.