What is a possible error related to the potato chip experiment?

In the potato chip experiment, which often investigates the effect of osmosis on potato cells, the option regarding not drying the potato cylinders completely is particularly important. When measuring the change in mass or length of the potato chips, having excess water on the surface can skew the results. This extra water adds weight that is not part of the actual potato tissue, leading to inaccurate measurements of osmosis. If the potato cylinders are not adequately dried before weighing, the readings will reflect the weight of the water in addition to that of the potato itself, thereby misrepresenting the effect of the surrounding solution on the potato cells. This error would compromise the validity of the results and conclusions drawn from the experiment.

Other aspects, such as the size of the potato variety or the size of the beaker, may affect the overall setup but are less likely to directly interfere with the osmosis measurements. Using a ruler to measure the cylinders is also a standard practice and would not inherently introduce error in the context of measuring mass or length changes in the experiment. Therefore, the importance of effectively drying the potato samples cannot be overstated, as it directly relates to the accuracy of the observed experimental outcomes.