A researcher hypothesizes that a solute enters a cell by facilitated diffusion. He places different concentrations of the solute in the extracellular medium to obtain the following data. Do his data support his hypothesis? A graph has a vertical axis labeled Rate of Entry Into Cell and a horizontal axis labeled Concentration of Solute. The graph shows a curve that rises very quickly at low concentrations of solute but levels out at high concentrations of solute.
Based on the given information, the data indeed support the researcher's hypothesis. The fact that the graph shows a rapid increase in the rate of entry into the cell at low concentrations of solute suggests that there is a facilitation process occurring. This is consistent with facilitated diffusion, as this process allows solutes to enter a cell more easily when there is a concentration gradient. The leveling off of the curve at high concentrations of solute is also expected, as facilitated diffusion eventually reaches a saturation point where the rate of entry into the cell plateaus. Therefore, the data align with the researcher's hypothesis that solute enters the cell by facilitated diffusion.
