Concept:Water movement across biological membranes is dictated by free energy, driven by differences in solute concentrations.
Formula:$$ \Psi_{w} = \Psi_{s} + \Psi_{p} $$
Solution:- The tendency of water to move across a semi-permeable membrane into a region of differing solute concentration is defined by osmosis.
- The quantitative measure of this specific driving force, driven strictly by the presence of solutes, is referred to as osmotic potential (or solute potential).
- Water always moves from an area of higher water potential (lower solute concentration) to an area of lower water potential (higher solute concentration).
Why other options are incorrect:- Pressure potential: Relates to the physical turgor pressure exerted by the cell wall.
Quality & Fidelity Assurance:
Every question on BeambePrep is rigorously curated against the official PMDC syllabus with zero filler, zero out-of-syllabus content, and zero typos. When an authentic past paper originally contained a historical mistake or ambiguity from the examining board (such as UHS or NUMS), BeambePrep faithfully reflects the original paper while detailing the nuance and scientific consensus in the autopsy above.