Potato Chip Experiment: Understanding Osmosis and Mass Increase

Explanation

To understand why potato chip A has a greater increase in mass than potato chip B, we need to first explore the principle of osmosis, which is likely at play in this situation. Osmosis is a biological process where water molecules move from an area of lower solute concentration to an area of higher solute concentration in an attempt to equalize the solute concentrations on the two sides.

In the case of the potato chips, suppose both chips are placed in water. If potato chip A has higher solute concentration (more salt, sugar, or any solute), water from the surrounding environment would enter the chip via osmosis, thereby increasing its mass. On the other hand, if potato chip B has a lower solute concentration, less water would enter the chip, resulting in a lesser increase in its mass. A similar concept is observed in the experiment with sugar and salt.

Despite equal volumes, the pile with greater density would have greater mass due to the density differences and positioning of the crystals, which links to the concept of mass and solute concentration in the potato chips.