MathBench > Cellular Processes

Diffusion

GRADIENTS AND DIFFUSION


a natural gradientSo diffusion occurs through the process of random movement. We will see that, based on these random movements, particles demonstrate flux in a predictable direction. But this raises a tricky question: if movement is random, how can flux (net movement in a particular direction) occur? The key to understanding this apparent contradiction is the concentration gradient -- namely, a difference in concentration of particles between two areas.

In this next section, we are going to introduce the idea of how random movement and gradients interact to produce a predictable level of flux.

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