A conversation to help you understand better...

This is a conversation between a mother, her daughter and her son, based on our local slang, Singlish. We hope it will help you to understand the concept of diffusion and osmosis better, especially if you are familiar with this slang :) Enjoy!

Mother: So… what did you two learn in school today?

Sister: well, in science we learnt about diffusion.

Brother: What is deefeesion?

Sister: Its diffusion.

*brother farts*

Sister: Ew, what’s that horrible smell?

Brother: what smell? I don’t smell anything…

Sister: you farted right?

Brother: Huh. Like real lah. You anyhow accuse one. What is this?!

Sister: Okay lor… Hey! This is a perfect example of diffusion.

Mother: You’re right.

Brother: Can you tell me more about deefeesion?

Mother: Diffusion is the movement of particles from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration. This works because everything is made up of very tiny particles. These particles are always moving and colliding with each other in the air as they move randomly. This is what causes diffusion. For example, when I cook dinner at home, you can smell my cooking from your room. This is because the smell is carried by particles that move around in the air from my food to your nose. When you farted just now, jie could smell it because the smell from your fart diffused in the air and travelled to her nose.

Brother: chey………

Sister: oh yeah hor! My teacher also talked about some other thing… Like got random particles from high dontknowwhat region to low also don’tknowwhat region! And the irritating thing is that it ISN’T diffusion! So confusing lah! What is it?

Mother: Oh and another thing that’s related to this is the process called osmosis! It’s *gets rudely interrupted*

Sister: CHEY! It’s osmosis sia! I remember now!

Mother: you prawn ah? Anyway, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, osmosis is the process where water molecules move from a region of higher concentration to a region of lower concentration through a semi-permeable membrane. This usually occurs in cells.  See this plant here?

*gestures at a plant* 

Mother: when it photosynthesizes, water enters the plant cells by osmosis.

Sister: okay. Now I understand. Thanks mummy! Ohhhh I’m hungry, I smell food.

Brother: HAH. DIFEESEEEOONNNNN!! (: