What is osmosis?

Question

What is osmosis?

Answer 1

–noun

From dictionary.com

1. Physical Chemistry, Cell Biology.

a. the tendency of a fluid, usually water, to pass through a semipermeable membrane into a solution where the solvent concentration is higher, thus equalizing the concentrations of materials on either side of the membrane.

b. the diffusion of fluids through membranes or porous partitions. Compare endosmosis, exosmosis.

2. a subtle or gradual absorption or mingling: He never studies but seems to learn by osmosis.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/o...

Answer 2

Osmosis is the diffusion of water through a semi-permeable membrane, from a solution of low solute concentration (high water potential) to a solution with high solute concentration (low water potential), up a solute concentration gradient. It is a physical process in which a solvent moves, without input of energy, across a semi-permeable membrane (permeable to the solvent, but not the solute) separating two solutions of different concentrations.[1] Osmosis releases energy, and can be made to do work, as when a growing tree-root splits a stone

Answer 3

its a shop.

Answer 4

Homework? or Coursework?

Answer 5

Its a science term

For when particles that are small enough to seperate from the bigger particles...

A best example is like in the bloodstream.

Where there are many different types of cells.

White blood cells are massive and many walls barriers in your natural body make the white blood cells stay where they are, unlike the red blood cells which are smaller and can move around into different areas, therefore seperating themselves from bigger particles....

Ughh  perhaps this is a better answer.

Imagine perfume, you spray it and then those small particles travel through the air passing all the other particles and then the smell if its strong enough can be smelt in the next room!

That is Osmosis...

( Why do i know this stuff?)

Answer 6

It is the flow of ions through a semipermeable membrane kept between two solutions from higher concentration to lower concentration till both the solutions have the same concentration of ions.

Answer 7

http://www.purchon.com/biology/osmosis.h...

try this site helps a lot

:) cheers!!

Answer 8

Open the following link and it will help you alot:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osmosis

Hope I helped.

Answer 9

basically it is water moving into/out of a cell. or cell membrane.

Answer 10

1 Diffusion of fluid through a semipermeable membrane from a solution with a low solute concentration to a solution with a higher solute concentration until there is an equal concentration of fluid on both sides of the membrane.

The tendency of fluids to diffuse in such a manner.

2 A gradual, often unconscious process of assimilation or absorption: learned French by osmosis while residing in Paris for 15 years.

Answer 11

The movement of water molecules from an area of high concentration (of water molecules) to an area of low concentration through a partially permeable membrane to try and achieve equilibrium.

So, for example, if you put a piece of potato in a test tube which is full of water, the cells of the potato will contain water (and the cell membrane is a partially permeable membrane) but it will also contain sugar, therefore there is a lower concentration of water due to this mixture than there is in the pure water in the test tube. The water from the test tube, which obviously has a higher concentration of water molecules, will pass through the membrane to go into the cells to try and balance the number of water molecules. This will continue until they are balanced, at which point the same number of molecules will be travelling out of the cell as there is going into the cell (although the cell will probably rupture before then because it simply cannot hold this much water!)

Answer 12

Osmosis is the diffusion of water through a semi-permeable membrane, from a solution of low solute concentration (high water potential) to a solution with high solute concentration (low water potential), up a solute concentration gradient. It is a physical process in which a solvent moves, without input of energy, across a semi-permeable membrane (permeable to the solvent, but not the solute) separating two solutions of different concentrations.

Basically Osmosis is where a liquid moves from one cell to another through an object to balance the Water/Sugar level.