Active transport is the movement of molecules across a membrane requiring energy to be expanded by the cell.

ACTIVE TRANSPORT REQUIRES ENERGY. Passive transport is diffusion across a membrane requiring only random motion of molecules with no energy expanded by the cell. Osmosis is an example of this. PASSIVE TRANSPORT REQUIRES NO ENERGY. Other answers Active transport requires energy often, in a cell, in the form of ATP (adenine triphosphate), like a sodium-potassium channel in a cell. Passive transport happens without the use of energy. An example of this is osmosis. Active transport is the movement of solutes against concentration gradient or electrical gradient. The solutes pass from a low solute concentration to a higher solute concentration, therefore it is also known as "uphill transport" whereas, Passive Transport is the movement of solutes towards the concentration gradient or electrical gradient. The solutes pass from a high solute concentration to a low solute concentration, therefore it is also known as "downhill transport". Passive transport occurs when the concentration of something on one side of membrane is different from the concentration on the other side. It occurs when that substance can pass through the membrane, and always in the direction of more -> less. No energy is required to make the substance move; in fact, this movement generates energy. This is like rolling a rock down a hill-it just does it on its own. Active transport occurs in the opposite direction, from less -> more. It requires energy for transport. This is like rolling a rock up a hill--you have to push it the entire way! Both involve the transport of a substance across a membrane, and the change in concentrations on different sides of a membrane. Both are also important to the proper functioning of a cell. Active transport requires energy, but passive transport requires none. Active transport requires a special protein to make the transport occur, but passive transport requires none. Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_difference_between_passive_and_active_transport#ixzz 25kPDgp7z

Active transport and passive transport refer to the different movements of molecules through a concentration gradient. Concentration gradient is a gradual change in concentration of particles in a solution between two regions and gradient results when there is an unequal distribution of ions across the cell membrane. So when movements of particles are against the concentration gradient it is an active transport, and if its towards the concentration gradient, it is a passive transport. To elaborate more, consider the food we eat. We eat to give nourishment to our body. The nutrients from the food we eat will then be transported to our cells, to nourish them. And so the transport system comes into place. Since the concentration gradients surrounding the cells differ from that of the inside of the cells, the transport system also varies. Considering that the concentration gradient is higher inside the cell membrane compared to the outside, when molecules are transported to the cells, it is moving against the concentration gradient, and so uses the active transport. And if cells will transport molecules from inside out, it will be moving towards the concentration gradient and so uses a passive transport system. Another difference between active and passive transport is that an active transport requires more energy which is usually sourced from Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) for moving particles from lower concentration gradient to a concentration of higher gradient. This Passive transport has no energy requirement since there is a automatic movement of particles from higher concentration gradient to lower concentration gradient. Apparently, the active and passive transports have major roles in transporting molecules or particles to anywhere it is needed. These transport systems are not limited to the human body, in fact, it observed in the biological composition of plants and animals. The movements of air from warm to cold (passive) or cold to warm (active) regions also uses transport system. In brief: Active transport system refers to the movements of particles against the concentration gradient and uses more energy to move from lower to higher concentration gradients. Passive transport system refers to movements of particles towards the concentration gradient and requires no energy to move from higher to lower concentration gradients.

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Every living being or thing is made up of cells. Bodies of plants and animals, from micro organisms, the smallest bacteria to the largest animal, are all made up of cells. The health of these cells is vital in their growth and development. To feed our cells with the nutrients and other substances that they need, our bodies have developed a transport system. These are classified into two, the active and the passive transport systems. Although these two transport systems have the same function, they work differently from each other and in order to understand more about their differences, it is important to learn how cells in our bodies work.

We eat to nourish our bodies, to make it strong and healthy; and the food we take into our bodies are converted into substances for easy absorption in the cell membranes. The concentration of substances in our cells differs significantly from each other. The concentration of substances inside the cells is usually higher and more concentrated than those outside of it. It can also happen in reverse depending on the biological factors affecting them. Due to this difference in concentration gradients, the transport system needed varies. In cases wherein a cell wants to transport a certain substance towards itself, its protein and sodium pumps would require more energy in order to function and successfully transport the substance. This chemical energy source is called Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP), an important component in active transport. There are actually two types of active transport, the primary active transport which uses ATP and the secondary active transport which uses electrochemical gradients. In cases wherein a cell wants to transport a certain substance from inside itself to the outside, considering the fact that the substance being transported out is more concentrated than the substances outside, no energy is needed. This is because the transport will then follow along a favorable concentration gradient. This is called passive transport. Active transport therefore is the movement of a substance or substances against its concentration gradients. This usually happens when the cells need high concentrations of molecules like when glucose is transported to the intestines and when mineral ions are transported to the roots of plants. Passive transport is the movement of substances along the concentration gradient, that is, from a higher concentration gradient to a lower one. The movement is automatic and depends upon the pores or openings in the cell membrane and its lipid and protein content. Diffusion, facilitated diffusion, filtration and osmosis, are the four main kinds of passive transport. Summary: 1. Active transport needs energy and uses chemical energy sources, while passive transport does not because it follows the rule of normal diffusion or the normal process of the mixing of substances together. 2. Active transport is the transfer of substances from a lower concentration gradient to a higher one, while passive transport is the transfer of substances from a higher concentration gradient to a lower one. 3. Active transport involves going against the flow, while passive transport goes along it.

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Active transport (sometimes called active uptake) is an energy-requiring process that moves material across a cell membrane. The cell uses active transport in three situations: when a particle is going from low to high concentration, when particles need help entering the membrane because they are selectively impermeable, and when very large particles enter and exit the cell. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_tran Passive transport means moving biochemicals and other atomic or molecular substances across membranes. Unlike active transport, this process does not involve chemical energy. Passive transport is dependent on the permeability of the cell membrane, which, in turn, is dependent on the organization and characteristics of the membrane lipids and proteins. The four main kinds of passive transport are diffusion, facilitated diffusion, filtration and osmosis.