Final answer:
To make a 5% or 10% sugar water solution, you mix sugar with water in a ratio that reflects the percentage by mass, such as 5 grams of sugar with 95 grams of water for a 5% solution, or 10 grams with 90 grams for a 10% solution.
Step-by-step explanation:
To make a 5% sugar water solution, you need to combine 5 grams of sugar with 95 grams of water because the percent by mass is calculated by the formula (mass of solute/mass of solution) x 100%. For a 10% sugar water solution, you would mix 10 grams of sugar with 90 grams of water. It's important to note that when preparing these solutions, the mass of the sugar (solute) is added to the mass of the solvent (usually water) to get the total mass of the solution. If using a volumetric approach, to prepare a 5% solution, you could dissolve 5 grams of sugar in enough water to make 100 mL of solution.
To summarize how to determine the amounts needed, if preparing a larger quantity, for example, a 5% sugar solution with a total mass of 3000 grams, you would need to weigh out 150 grams of sugar and mix it with 2850 grams of water. The preparation involves dissolving the sugar in part of the water, and then adding more water to achieve the final desired mass or volume.