Osmosis

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/osmosis

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the key discoverers?Nollet (observation), Dutrochet (terminology), Pfeffer (quantitative data), van 't Hoff (theoretical framework)
2. What is the biological facilitation?Often mediated by aquaporins, specialized protein channels enhancing water flux
3. Why does water move through membranes in osmosis?Water moves because it wants to balance the amount of water on both sides of the membrane. The membrane lets water pass but stops bigger molecules, so water keeps moving until the two sides are equal.
4. How does osmosis help plants grow?In plants, osmosis pulls water into the roots. The water builds pressure inside the cells, which keeps the plant upright and lets the tiny openings called stomata open for breathing.

Water potential (ψ): A measure of the free energy of water per unit volume, determining its direction of movement.
Aquaporins: Integral membrane proteins that facilitate the passage of water across cell membranes.
Tonicity: The relative concentration of solutes in two solutions, determining the direction of water movement across a membrane.