Through these experiments, you concluded that:

1. The cell membrane of a plant cell is not permeable to salt. This was evident by the shrinking of cells. To balance the concentration of salt within and outside the cell, water flowed from the cells into the surrounding environment. If the cell membrane was permeable to salt, water and salt could have both flowed back and forth through the cell membrane until both environments contained equal concentrations of salt.

2. The cell wall and cell membrane are permeable to water. This was also evident by the shrinking of cells. To balance the concentration of salt inside and outside the cells, water flowed from the cells into the surrounding environment. If the cell membrane were not permeable to water, the cells would not have shrunk.

3. The structure of the cell wall and cell membrane determines whether or not each structure is permeable to salt and water. The permeability of each structure determines whether or not salt moves in a out, which in turn affects whether or not water moves in and out of the cell.