A student is looking at an osmosis problem. The circle inside the beaker represents a cell, and shows the percent of water and solute inside of it

Question

How would the student describe the solution that is in the cell in relationship to the beaker?

Answer 1

To describe the solution inside the cell in relation to the solution in the beaker, the student can use the terms "hypertonic," "hypotonic," or "isotonic."

1. Hypotonic solution: If the cell has a higher concentration of solute (lower concentration of water) compared to the solution in the beaker, the solution in the beaker is considered hypotonic. This means water will move into the cell, causing it to swell or potentially burst.

2. Hypertonic solution: If the cell has a lower concentration of solute (higher concentration of water) compared to the solution in the beaker, the beaker solution is hypertonic. In this case, water will move out of the cell, causing it to shrink.

3. Isotonic solution: If the concentrations of solute and water are equal inside the cell and in the beaker, the solutions are isotonic. In this scenario, there would be no net movement of water into or out of the cell.

The student would need to determine the respective concentrations of solute and water in both the cell and the beaker to accurately describe their relationship.