Student completes a science worksheet on the cell membrane, focusing on phospholipids and their structure.

Let’s go step by step to understand and answer the questions on your worksheet.

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First, let’s look at what “hydrophilic” means.

The word is made of two parts:
- “Hydro” = water
- “Philic” = loving (like in “philanthropist” — someone who loves people)

So, hydrophilic means “water-loving.” That means it likes to be near water or mix with water. In the cell membrane, the heads of the phospholipids are hydrophilic — they face the water outside and inside the cell.

Now, “hydrophobic”:
- “Hydro” = water
- “Phobic” = fearing (like in “arachnophobia” — fear of spiders)

So, hydrophobic means “water-fearing.” These parts don’t like water — they try to stay away from it. In the cell membrane, the tails of the phospholipids are hydrophobic — they hide in the middle, away from water.

This is why the cell membrane forms a bilayer — the heads face out toward water, and the tails tuck inside, away from water. It’s like an automatic sandwich: bread (heads) on the outside, filling (tails) hidden inside.

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Final Answer:
- Hydrophilic means "water-loving" — it can bond with or attract water.
- Hydrophobic means "water-fearing" — it avoids or repels water.