Diffusion with Surface Area to Volume Ratio

Introduction

Cells have to interact with their environment, chemicals and water and in order to do so they must be able to move across the cell membrane and the cell. The movements within a cell are called Diffusion. When molecules move across a cell membrane it is known as Osmosis. Diffusion is the process by which molecules of a substance move from areas of higher concentration of that substance to areas of lower concentration. Diffusion can be the transfer of anything anywhere. However, that is not true for osmosis. Osmosis is diffusion, but a specific type of diffusion. Osmosis is only the diffusion of water molecules through a selectively permeable membrane and a concentration gradient. Only certain molecules can cross the membrane to either go in our out of the cell.

If outside the cell there is a lower concentration of molecules than inside the cell, it is called hypotonic and water will move from outside the cell into the cell. If the solution outside the cell has a larger concentration of dissolved materials the