InspeticaOpen the daily feed

Everyday Science · 45 sec

Osmosis

The science behind something you encounter, use, or wonder about.

  1. The useful idea

    Osmosis (, US also ) is the spontaneous net movement of solvent molecules through a selectively permeable membrane from a region of high water potential (region of lower solute concentration) to a region

  2. How it works

    of low water potential (region of higher solute concentration), in the direction that tends to equalize the solute concentrations on the two sides.

  3. Why it matters

    It may also be used to describe a physical process in which any solvent moves across a selectively permeable membrane (permeable to the solvent, but not the solute) separating two solutions of different

Look for Osmosis the next time you notice this pattern in everyday life.

Look for Osmosis the next time you notice this pattern in everyday life.

Test your recall

Which idea belongs to the explanation of Osmosis?

  • The useful idea — correct
  • How it works
  • Why it matters

Osmosis (, US also ) is the spontaneous net movement of solvent molecules through a selectively permeable membrane from a region of high water potential (region of lower solute concentration) to a region

EvergreenLast verified 2026-07-19

Sources