osmosis

Question 1

what is osmosis

Answer 1

the movement of water molecules from a dilute to a more concentrated region through a partially permeable membrane.

Question 2

what is a partially permeable membrane

Answer 2

a membrane permeable to the small molecules of water and certain solutes but does not allow the passage of large solute molecules

Question 3

what happens in red blood cells when osmosis takes place

Answer 3

the water will either be spread out across the cell or there will be more going in or more going out.

Question 4

what happens to the red blood cell when there is more water just going in

Answer 4

the cell absorbs all the water and the size of the cells becomes larger and rounder

Question 5

what happens to the red blood cell when there is more water just going out

Answer 5

the cell therefore has nothing to absorb so the shape of the cell decreases into a more scrunched up shape.

Question 6

what happens to the red blood cell when the water is spread out across the cell

Answer 6

the cell remains the same size and shape with the same absorption level.