A researcher hypothesizes that a solute enters a cell by facilitated diffusion. He places different concentrations of the solute in the extracellular medium to obtain the following data. Do his data support his hypothesis? A graph has a vertical axis labeled Rate of Entry Into Cell and a horizontal axis labeled Concentration of Solute. The graph shows a curve that rises very quickly at low concentrations of solute but levels out at high concentrations of solute.

Answer 1

Based on the given information, the data indeed support the researcher's hypothesis. The fact that the graph shows a rapid increase in the rate of entry into the cell at low concentrations of solute suggests that there is a facilitation process occurring. This is consistent with facilitated diffusion, as this process allows solutes to enter a cell more easily when there is a concentration gradient. The leveling off of the curve at high concentrations of solute is also expected, as facilitated diffusion eventually reaches a saturation point where the rate of entry into the cell plateaus. Therefore, the data align with the researcher's hypothesis that solute enters the cell by facilitated diffusion.