a cell is dropped into a salt water solution and shirviles up you infer that compared to the cell the type of saltwater solution is
hypertonic.
When a cell is dropped into a hypertonic solution, it means that the concentration of solutes (in this case, salt) in the solution is higher than the concentration inside the cell. As a result, water molecules move out of the cell through osmosis to try to equalize the concentrations. This leads to the cell shrinking or shriveling up.
Based on the information provided, if a cell is dropped into a saltwater solution and it shrivels up, it can be inferred that the saltwater solution is hypertonic relative to the cell. In other words, the concentration of solutes (salt) in the solution is higher than that inside the cell. As a result, water from the cell would move out of the cell by osmosis, causing the cell to shrink or shrivel.
To infer the type of saltwater solution, we need to consider the observed behavior of the cell upon being dropped into the solution.
When a cell is dropped into a saltwater solution and shrivels up, it indicates that the saltwater solution has a higher concentration of solutes (salt ions) compared to the interior of the cell. The movement of water across a cell membrane depends on the principle of osmosis - the movement of solvent (in this case, water) from an area of lower solute concentration to an area of higher solute concentration.
In this scenario, since the cell shrivels up (loses water) when it is exposed to the saltwater solution, it suggests that the concentration of solutes in the solution is higher than that inside the cell. This type of saltwater solution is called a hypertonic solution.
A hypertonic solution has a higher concentration of solutes than the solution it is being compared to. In this case, the hypertonic saltwater solution has a higher concentration of salt ions than the interior of the cell, causing water to move out of the cell through osmosis, leading to the shrinking or shriveling up of the cell.