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Diffusion is the tendency of particles in a gas or liquid to become evenly distributed by moving from areas of greater concentration to areas of lesser concentration. Diffusion is driven by the kinetic energy of particles that is a consequence of temperature. It is an inherently random process and particles continue to spread out until they are evenly distributed within the enclosed area.

Biologically, diffusion is the cause of random movement or net movement of particles from an area of high concentration towards an area of low concentration. Osmosis refers to the flow of particles across a membrane. When active transport is absent, diffusion provides the driving force for osmosis across a fully permeable or partially permeable membrane.

Fully permeable: all particles can move through.

Partially permeable: only certain particles an move through.

Active transport: biochemical processes expend energy to move particles.

Note: Reverse osmosis is basically filtering. Pressure is greater on one side of a partially permeable membrane pushing particles through it.

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12y ago

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