It Is Sometimes Jokingly Said That You Could Study for Your

Essay

It is sometimes jokingly said that you could study for your biology test by placing your textbook under your pillow at night and thereby learn by osmosis, as the knowledge would flow from the book to your brain while you slept.Aside from the obvious silliness of this claim, what is wrong with the use of the word "osmosis" in this context? How might you lose knowledge (if knowledge could actually flow along a concentration gradient between a book and a brain) if you tried this technique?