movement of water molecules across the cell membranes from hypertonic to hypotonic solution .
whether it is osmosis or diffusion?.
please clarify.
diffusion. because it is from high to low.
hyper means high
hypo means low
so, answer is diffusion
To clarify whether the movement of water molecules across cell membranes from a hypertonic to a hypotonic solution is osmosis or diffusion, we need to understand the definitions of these two processes.
Osmosis is the movement of water molecules through a semipermeable membrane from an area of lower solute concentration to an area of higher solute concentration until equilibrium is reached. In this case, the solute concentration refers to the total concentration of all the dissolved particles in a solution.
Diffusion, on the other hand, is the process by which molecules or ions move from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration. It occurs due to the random movement of molecules or ions, which eventually leads to equal distribution or equilibrium.
In the scenario you mentioned, where water molecules move from a hypertonic (higher solute concentration) solution to a hypotonic (lower solute concentration) solution, the process involved is osmosis. Osmosis specifically refers to the movement of water molecules, while diffusion encompasses the movement of any type of molecule or ion.
So, in summary, the movement of water molecules across cell membranes from a hypertonic to a hypotonic solution is called osmosis.