Your friend notes that Gatorade has electrolytes like sodium and potassium chloride. He figures that if a few electrolytes are good for you, then a lot must be even better. Following this logic, he adds nearly a tablespoonful of salt to his Gatorade. What kind of solution is his Gatorade now (hypotonic, isotonic, or hypertonic)? What will likely to happen to his cells if he drinks this liquid?
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His Gatorade is now likely to be hypertonic. A hypertonic solution has a higher concentration of solutes, such as sodium and potassium chloride in this case, outside the cells than the inside of the cells. If he drinks this liquid, the high concentration of salt in the hypertonic solution will cause water to move out of his body cells in an attempt to balance the concentration of solutes inside and outside the cells, a process called osmosis.
As a result, his cells will likely begin to shrink as they lose water. This can lead to dehydration and an imbalance of electrolytes within his body, which is dangerous and can lead to serious health complications if not corrected.