What does a low water potential mean?

Question

Madeline Andrews · Accepted Answer

A low water potential means that water has a low force driving it to move from one area to another

Water potential is the "preference" of water to move from one place to another, and is made up of a lot of factors. For example, if water is at the top of a ramp, it has a high water potential due to gravity (it would tend to move downhill). If pure water is placed on one side of a permeable membrane, and a very salty solution is placed on the other, then the pure water has a high water potential due to osmosis (the pure water will tend to cross the membrane to equalize the salt content on either side of the membrane).

If there is a low water potential, then this means that there are few forces driving the water to move from one place to another, and the water will tend to remain as is.

There's a good review on Wikipedia, here

If there is a low water potential, then this means that there are few forces driving the water to move from one place to another, and the water will tend to remain as is.

There's a good review on Wikipedia, here

Maya Anderson · Answer

undefined A low water potential means that the water in a particular system has a low tendency to move or flow. This could be due to factors such as high solute concentration, pressure, or physical barriers, all of which reduce the potential for water molecules to move freely.