Here's a breakdown:
* Hypotonic: "Hypo" means "below" or "less than," referring to the solute concentration.
* Solute: The substance being dissolved (e.g., sugar, salt).
* Water: The solvent in this case.
Think of it like this:
Imagine two containers separated by a semipermeable membrane (allowing water to pass through but not solute).
* Hypotonic solution: The container with less solute and more water.
* Hypertonic solution: The container with more solute and less water.
Because the water molecules are more concentrated in the hypotonic solution, they will move across the membrane into the hypertonic solution, trying to equalize the concentration. This process is called osmosis.
