2006-11-20 14:09:10 · 3 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Biology
Osmotic pressure is the pressure necessary to reverse osmosis and return to the initial condition. It would be the difference between the liquid levels at equilibrium and the initial liquid level in our thistle tube example above.
2006-11-20 14:17:58 · answer #1 · answered by hott.dawg™ 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
'osmotic pressure' is actually not literally a form of pressure. Osmotic pressure exists whenever there is semipermeable membrane through which a solute cannot pass and there is a difference in concentration on either side. The natural tendency would be for the water to travel across the membrane until the two solutions are equally concentrated. The greater the difference in concentration, the greater the tendency of water to travel across the membrane. This is a similar concept, although a very different mechanism, to something being pushed harder, so they use the term 'osmotic pressure' to describe how strongly water is drawn across the membrane.
2006-11-20 22:21:48 · answer #2 · answered by droldog1 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Osmotic pressure is the pressure of fluids at rest.
Hope this answers your question!
2006-11-20 22:36:20 · answer #3 · answered by bkdaniels2006 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋