An example of water moving by osmosis is when someone drinks a sports drink after exercise to rehydrate.
Here's a breakdown of why this is an example of osmosis:
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Osmosis Definition: Osmosis is the movement of water across a semi-permeable membrane from an area of high water concentration to an area of low water concentration. This movement aims to equalize the concentration of solutes (like sugar and electrolytes) on both sides of the membrane.
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Sports Drinks and Osmosis:
- After exercise, your body loses fluids and electrolytes.
- Sports drinks are formulated to contain a higher concentration of sugars and electrolytes compared to your blood.
- When you drink the sports drink, water moves from your blood (high water concentration) into the sports drink in your digestive system (lower water concentration due to the higher concentration of solutes).
- This movement of water helps to equalize the concentrations, which is a key characteristic of osmosis. The body can then absorb the rehydrating fluids and electrolytes from the sports drink.
