Answer: Yes, plasma membrane is a selectively permeable membrane.
Differences between osmosis and diffusion are: osmosis occurs only through a selectively permeable membrane while diffusion does not involve a selectively permeable membrane.
Osmosis involves only the movement of water molecules while diffusion involves the movement of solute particles.
Explanation:
Plasma membrane is a selectively permeable membrane because all biological membranes are composed of phospholipids bilayer which allows the passage of specific substances through it.
Osmosis is the movement of water molecules from an area of high water concentration (or low solute concentration) to an area of low water concentration (or high solute concentration) through a selectively permeable membrane.
Diffusion is the movement of solute particles from a region of high concentration to a region of low concentration.
For osmosis to occur, it must occur through a selectively permeable membrane. Diffusion can occur in the absence or presence of a selectively permeable membrane.
