explain why limp celery becomes crisp and the skin of your fingertips wrinkle when placed in tap water?

Answer 1

see "capillary action" on wikipedia

Answer 2

From The Answer Bank:

"Q. Why do only the pads on my fingers wrinkle after a long bath?

A. The dead keratin filled cells of the outer skin absorb water, however, the underlying live ones don’t. The outer layer swells with the water, increasing its surface area. Because the skin on our hands and feet is much thicker than the rest of our body, it absorbs relatively more water and has an even greater increase in surface area, which has to be accommodated somehow. As a result this skin concertinas itself up, creating very evident wrinkles.


So, although it looks like our fingers and toes are shrivelling, they’re actually expanding.

Q. Why does the outer surface of my skin absorb water?

A. The keratin filled cells that make up the stratum corneum, the outer layer of the epidermis, are water loving. By absorbing water they stop it getting any further into the inner layers of the epidermis where it would be harmful."

This effect of osmosis also works in the limp celery. The celery is limp because its cells have lost water so they are no longer rigid. Reabsorbing water makes them rigid again, so it becomes crisp. Since the cell walls are not soft like human skin cells, though, it will absorb excess water and "wrinkle" like human skin.

Answer 3

it is form the force of the attraction form the bond holding the water molecule that has got something doing with the sebum in the sebaecious gland so in that case the pores are forced to expand there by serving as a semi-permeable membrane.this makes the back of the fingers to be turgid .

Answer 4

anything will go form higher concentration to lower concentration. since the water concentration is lower in your cells than in tap water, the tap water will go into your cells and cause them to burst in a most horrifying fashion, thus causing wrinkles.

Answer 5

I would guess its because of the water potential difference but whatever it is it has something to do with osmosis

Answer 6

i fink itz koz of a process called sismosis...water goes from the place where it is in greater amount to where there is less..i was null in biology,so am sorry as i cant ensure that my answer is a good one...

Answer 7

It's due to Osmosis.