Final answer:
Facilitated diffusion is the assisted movement of substances across cell membranes using transport proteins, while osmosis is the movement of water across a membrane to balance solute concentrations. In the scenario of exploding blood cells, the process involved is likely osmosis, suggesting an imbalance in solute concentration leading to water influx and cell rupture.
Step-by-step explanation:
In biology, understanding how substances move across cell membranes is essential. When a substance needs assistance to move across or through the plasma membrane, it uses a process called facilitated diffusion. This is a type of passive transport that involves transport proteins in the plasma membrane. Unlike simple diffusion, which is the movement of very small or hydrophobic molecules like oxygen and carbon dioxide without any help, facilitated diffusion is necessary for larger or hydrophilic molecules and charged ions to enter and leave the cell.
Osmosis is another critical process related to the movement of water. It is the diffusion of water molecules across a membrane from an area of lower solute concentration to an area of higher solute concentration, helping cells maintain integrity and adapt to changes in the extracellular environment. In osmosis, water crosses a membrane, moving from the side where its concentration is higher (and the concentration of solute is lower) to the side where free water concentration is lower (where solute concentration is higher).
Back to the scenario, if a girl's blood cells exploded, it suggests that water moved into the cells in an attempt to balance solute concentration across the membrane, leading to swelling and bursting of the cells—a process consistent with osmosis.