Diffusion
Water Diffusion: Osmosis
The special case of diffusion of water into and out of cells is called osmosis. Because osmosis is the diffusion of water, it is the movement of water from an area with a high concentration of water molecules to an area with a low concentration of water molecules; that is, water diffuses from an area in which water is abundant to an area in which water is scarce. Osmosis in cells is usually defined in different terms, however. It is the movement of water from a low concentration of salts to an area with a high concentration of salts, across a semi-permeable membrane.
Resources
Books
Byrne, John H. An Introduction to Membrane Transport and Bioelectricity: Foundations of General Physiology and Electrochemical Signaling. 2nd ed. New York: Raven Press, 1994.
Denny, Mark. Air and Water: The Biology and Physics of Life's Media. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1993.
Yeagle, Philip. The Membrane of Cells. 2nd ed. San Diego: Academic Press, 1993.
Kathleen Scogna
Additional topics
Science EncyclopediaScience & Philosophy: Dependency - The Intellectual Roots Of Dependency Thinking to Dirac equationDiffusion - Concentration Gradients, Diffusion In Cells, Water Diffusion: Osmosis - The importance of diffusion