Passive Transport

Front

What is passive transport?

Back

Passive transport is the movement of substances across a cell membrane without the use of energy. It relies on the concentration gradient, moving substances from areas of higher concentration to areas of lower concentration.

Front

What is diffusion?

Back

Diffusion is the process by which molecules spread from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration until equilibrium is reached.

Front

What is osmosis?

Back

Osmosis is the diffusion of water molecules through a selectively permeable membrane from an area of low solute concentration to an area of high solute concentration.

Front

What does selectively permeable mean?

Back

Selectively permeable means that a membrane allows certain substances to pass through while blocking others.

Front

What happens to a cell in a hypertonic solution?

Back

In a hypertonic solution, water moves out of the cell, causing the cell to shrink.

Front

What happens to a cell in a hypotonic solution?

Back

In a hypotonic solution, water moves into the cell, causing the cell to swell and potentially burst.

Front

What is equilibrium in the context of cell transport?

Back

Equilibrium is the state where the concentration of a substance is equal on both sides of a membrane, resulting in no net movement of that substance.

Front

What is a concentration gradient?

Back

A concentration gradient is the difference in the concentration of a substance across a space or membrane.

Front

What is facilitated diffusion?

Back

Facilitated diffusion is a type of passive transport that uses protein channels to help move substances across the cell membrane.

Front

What role do transport proteins play in passive transport?

Back

Transport proteins assist in the movement of substances across the cell membrane, especially those that cannot easily pass through the lipid bilayer.