The reasoning: saturable kinetics, then ask who pays
Carrier‑mediated transport follows Michaelis–Menten kinetics: J = Jmax × C / (Km + C). Saturation, stereospecificity and competition prove a carrier — not active transport. Activity is defined by energetics: does the solute move against its electrochemical gradient, and is energy coupled directly (primary) or via another gradient (secondary)?