Final answer:
A hypertonic solution means there are more solutes outside a cell than inside. Water exits the cell to balance solute concentrations, causing the cell to shrink or crenate. Remember 'hyper-' means 'more', signifying more solutes in the external solution compared to the cell's interior.
Step-by-step explanation:
To remember that a hypertonic solution refers to an environment with more solutes outside the red blood cell than inside, consider the prefix 'hyper-' which means 'more'. This signals that there are more solutes in the external solution compared to inside the cell. In a hypertonic environment, water will leave the cell to balance the concentration of solutes, causing the cell to shrink or crenate.
An easy way to visualize this is by thinking about a crowded place. If inside the cell is like a quiet room (fewer solutes), and outside is a noisy market (more solutes), water would 'leave' the quiet room to go to the market, causing the room (the cell) to shrink. This is the process of crenation.
By understanding these concepts, hypertonic solutions can be recalled as environments where water flows out of the cell, ultimately leading to cell shrinking.