What is the difference between a hypotonic and hypertonic solution?

Hypo = less or reduced
Hyper = more

tonic relates to the solution and salt and electrolyte balance

hypotonic = less salt/electrolyte
hypertonic = more

Just remember when u have too much sugar you can go HYPERactive

The total salt concentration.  Hyper is more than isotonic, hypo is less than isotonic.  Isotonic is the same as (usually meaning the same as blood).

You need to refer to two parts, the solution and whatever is in the solution.

Lets use a cell in solution. In a hypotonic solution, the concentration of impermeable solutes of the solution is lower than that of the cell. In a hypertonic solution, the concentration of impermeable solutes of the solution is higher than that of the cell. In a hypotonic solution the cell will crenate (shrink) from water leaving the cell (osmosis). In a hypertonic solution the cell will swell, and possibly burst from the extra water; plant cells are much more resilient to hypertonic solutions due to their cell wall, animal cells on the other hand can burst easily if the solution is too hypertonic.

To understand the difference between hypotonic and hypertonic, you need to first know the definition of solute and solvent. A solvent is something that a solute is dissolved in. A solute is something that is dissolved in a solvent. For example, imagine you have a glass of water and a cup of sugar. If you put the cup of sugar into the glass of water, your solvent is water and your solute is sugar.

Hypertonic, Hypotonic, and Isotonic are terms used in biology to compare the concentration of something in a solvent like water. Hypertonic is when you have more solute than solvent, Hypotonic is when you have less solute than solvent, and Isotonic is when you have the same amount of solute and solvent.  For example if a drinking glass has 75% water and 25% sugar, then it is hypotonic (since it has less solute than solvent). If a drinking glass has 25% water and 75% sugar, then it is hypertonic (since it has more solute than solvent). If something has 50% water and 50% sugar, then it is isotonic because it has the same amount of solute and solvent.

Hypertonic has more salts or solutes than the other solution.  Hyper means more.
Hypotonic has less.  Hypo means less.  Like hypothermia.
A hypotinic solution will take solute from a hypertonic solution across a semipermeable membrane.
A cell in a hypotonic solution will take on water and burst.  In a hypertonic solution it will loose water and crenate.