What is more acceptable?
There are more sodium ions outside the cell
or
There are more sodium ions outside of the cell
asked May 28 '17 at 15:39
-
Can you explain please? – Judicious Allure May 28 '17 at 15:53
-
There's also the possibility of more sodium ions on the outside of the cell, which would normally be taken to imply those additional ions are very close to (or "touching") the outer surface of the cell, as opposed to just anywhere (in the general vicinity). That "right next to the outer edge" sense might perhaps be more strongly suggested by your second example (including of, but not on the). – FumbleFingers Reinstate Monica May 28 '17 at 18:18
outside the cell
outside of the cell
on the outside of the cell
of these three only "on the outside of the cell" might imply direct contact with the cell wall.
Since you are probably talking about osmotic pressure, any of the three can be used without loss of understanding since the reader will probably already know how osmotic pressure works.
