• Congratulations to the Class of 2024 on your results!
    Let us know how you went here
    Got a question about your uni preferences? Ask us here

Osmotic Pressure (1 Viewer)

Aysce

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 24, 2011
Messages
2,394
Gender
Male
HSC
2012
Hello BOSers :D
Can anyone please provide a solid yet simple definition for osmotic pressure? I know things about it like how if osmotic pressure is high, the concentration of solutes are also high and water concentration is low, hence causing water to enter the cell via osmosis and blah blah blah..

Much Appreciated :)
 

Aysce

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 24, 2011
Messages
2,394
Gender
Male
HSC
2012
I did, don't get definitions that well :S
 

Carrotsticks

Retired
Joined
Jun 29, 2009
Messages
9,494
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
N/A
Imagine that you're eating a lot of salty food.

When you eat a lot of salt, you get thirsty, so you drink water. This is the same as increasing water volume (which in effect, reduces the salt concentration!)

Now think of the opposite. If I don't eat a lot of salt, I won't feel like drinking as much water.

Osmotic pressure is the equivalent of how badly I want to drink water. For the first case, since I'm drinking a lot, the osmotic pressure is greater.

Putting analogies aside, my definition would be:

"Osmotic pressure is the hydrostatic pressure of water caused by differences in solvent concentrations, which initiates the effects of osmosis".
 

Kimyia

Active Member
Joined
Oct 21, 2011
Messages
1,013
Gender
Female
HSC
2012
Uni Grad
2016
Imagine that you're eating a lot of salty food.

When you eat a lot of salt, you get thirsty, so you drink water. This is the same as increasing water volume (which in effect, reduces the salt concentration!)

Now think of the opposite. If I don't eat a lot of salt, I won't feel like drinking as much water.

Osmotic pressure is the equivalent of how badly I want to drink water. For the first case, since I'm drinking a lot, the osmotic pressure is greater.

Putting analogies aside, my definition would be:

"Osmotic pressure is the hydrostatic pressure of water caused by differences in solvent concentrations, which initiates the effects of osmosis".
That sounds like a good definition
 

Aysce

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 24, 2011
Messages
2,394
Gender
Male
HSC
2012
Ah thank you so much, the definition is pretty straightforward :)
 

katie tully

ashleey luvs roosters
Joined
Jun 15, 2008
Messages
5,213
Location
My wrist is limp
Gender
Female
HSC
2005


i made u a picture !!!

i find red blood cells are the best example and are easy to draw but u can apply osmotic pressure to any cell

picture 1 is when the environment is hypertonic which means water is leaving the cell. in a blood cell we call this crenation. the plasma membrane becomes all distorted as the water leaves the cell

picture 2 is normal, when u have an isotonic environment which means the net movement of solutes and water is the same.

picture 3 is hypotonic when the net movement of water into the cell is high and it causes the cell to swell, this can result in EXPLOSSSSSION

but yeah mang if you just google osmotic pressure there are some really good, easy examples
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 0, Guests: 1)

Top