Final answer:
The process when water flows into a cell from a hypotonic solution, causing the cell to swell and possibly burst, is called hemolysis. If water moves out instead, in a hypertonic solution, it leads to crenation where the cell shrinks. In an isotonic solution, no net water movement occurs, so the cell's size remains stable.
Step-by-step explanation:
When water flows into a cell from a hypotonic solution, the process is called hemolysis. This occurs because the external solution has a lower solute concentration than the interior of the cell, leading to water entering the cell to balance the solute concentrations. As water continuously flows into the cell, the cell swells and may eventually burst if the influx is not managed, especially in animal cells like red blood cells.
In contrast to hemolysis, water movement out of the cell in a hypertonic solution causes crenation, where the cell shrinks due to water loss. In an isotonic environment, there is no net movement of water, so the cell size remains unchanged, and there is no change to the cell.