Name: how plants make oxygen and atp
Uploaded: 2025-06-12T09:36:09.000Z
Duration: 1 min 26 s
Channel: JoVE

K12 Standards

Pennsylvania State Academic Standards

9-12

Earth and Space Science

Earth's Systems

3.3.9-12.L

Oxygenic Photosynthesis

La photosynthèse oxygénée exploite l’énergie lumineuse pour convertir l’eau et le dioxyde de carbone en glucose et en oxygène. Les phototrophes oxygénés, tels que les cyanobactéries et les algues, utilisent des pigments de chlorophylle intégrés dans leurs membranes thylakoïdes, qui résultent du repliement de la membrane plasmique. Les cyanobactéries organisent ces pigments en deux photosystèmes : le photosystème I, P700, et le photosystème II, P680. Le photosystème II oxyde l’eau, libérant de l’oxygène, des protons et des électrons. Les électrons se déplacent vers la phéophytine, puis à travers la plastoquinone vers le complexe cytochrome b6f. La plastocyanine transporte les électrons vers le photosystème I, où la lumière les redynamise. Les électrons excités se déplacent vers la ferrédoxine, puis vers la ferrédoxine-NADP⁺ réductase, qui les utilise pour réduire le NADP⁺ en NADPH. Le transport d’électrons pompe des protons à travers la membrane, générant un gradient de protons qui entraîne l’ATP synthase. Dans certains cas, les électrons du photosystème I peuvent retourner dans la chaîne de transport d’électrons, générant de l’ATP supplémentaire sans produire de NADPH ou d’oxygène.

photosynthèse bactérienne

La photosynth&#232;se oxyg&#233;n&#233;e est un processus fondamental dans lequel l'&#233;nergie lumineuse est exploit&#233;e pour oxyder l'eau, conduisant &#224; la production d'oxyg&#232;ne mol&#233;culaire (O_2), d'ad&#233;nosine triphosphate (ATP) et de nicotinamide ad&#233;nine dinucl&#233;otide phosphate (NADPH). Ce processus, essentiel au maintien de la vie a&#233;robie sur Terre, est principalement assur&#233; par les cyanobact&#233;ries, les algues et les plantes. Le c&#339;ur de la photosynth&#232;se oxyg&#233;n&#233;e se trouve dans les membranes des thylako&#239;des, o&#249; les pigments chlorophylliens facilitent l'absorption de la lumi&#232;re et la conversion d'&#233;nergie.
Appareil photosynth&#233;tique et photosyst&#232;mes
Chez les cyanobact&#233;ries, le m&#233;canisme photosynth&#233;tique est int&#233;gr&#233; dans les membranes des thylako&#239;des, issues de l'invagination de la membrane plasmique. Les principaux pigments absorbant la lumi&#232;re, organis&#233;s en deux photosyst&#232;mes distincts &#8211; le photosyst&#232;me I (PSI, P700) et le photosyst&#232;me II (PSII, P680) &#8211; interagissent pour piloter le transport des &#233;lectrons et la production d'&#233;nergie.
Flux d'&#233;lectrons et oxydation de l'eau
Le photosyst&#232;me II initie la cha&#238;ne de transport d'&#233;lectrons en oxydant les mol&#233;cules d'eau du complexe g&#233;n&#233;rant de l'oxyg&#232;ne, produisant des protons (H^+), des &#233;lectrons (e^-) et de l'oxyg&#232;ne mol&#233;culaire.
Les &#233;lectrons lib&#233;r&#233;s de l'eau sont transf&#233;r&#233;s &#224; la ph&#233;ophytine, puis relay&#233;s par la plastoquinone (PQ) vers le complexe cytochrome b6f. Ce complexe prot&#233;ique facilite le pompage des protons &#224; travers la membrane, renfor&#231;ant ainsi le gradient de protons essentiel &#224; la synth&#232;se d'ATP.
Transfert d'&#233;lectrons vers le photosyst&#232;me I
La plastocyanine, un transporteur d'&#233;lectrons contenant du cuivre, transporte les &#233;lectrons du cytochrome b6f vers le PSI, o&#249; ils sont r&#233;excit&#233;s par absorption de photons. Les &#233;lectrons ainsi stimul&#233;s sont ensuite transf&#233;r&#233;s &#224; la ferr&#233;doxine par une prot&#233;ine fer-soufre. Enfin, la ferr&#233;doxine-NADP^+ r&#233;ductase catalyse la r&#233;duction du NADP^+ en NADPH.
Synth&#232;se d'ATP et flux &#233;lectronique cyclique
Lorsque les &#233;lectrons traversent la cha&#238;ne de transport, le gradient de protons g&#233;n&#233;r&#233; &#224; travers la membrane thylaco&#239;dienne alimente l'ATP synthase, qui phosphoryle l'ADP en ATP par chimiosmose. Cet ATP fournit l'&#233;nergie n&#233;cessaire &#224; la fixation du carbone pendant le cycle de Calvin.
Dans certaines conditions, les &#233;lectrons du PSI peuvent &#234;tre redirig&#233;s vers la cha&#238;ne de transport d'&#233;lectrons par un flux &#233;lectronique cyclique. Cette voie alternative produit de l'ATP suppl&#233;mentaire sans g&#233;n&#233;rer de NADPH ni d'O_2, &#233;quilibrant ainsi le rapport ATP/NADPH pour r&#233;pondre aux besoins m&#233;taboliques cellulaires.
La photosynth&#232;se oxyg&#233;n&#233;e repr&#233;sente un processus biochimique finement r&#233;gl&#233;, assurant la capture d'&#233;nergie, le flux d'&#233;lectrons et la production d'ATP n&#233;cessaires aux formes de vie autotrophes et, in fine, au maintien de la biosph&#232;re.

Photosynthèse bactérienne

Education

Enseignement

JoVE Core

Microbiology

Microbiologie

Unit

Unité

Microbial Metabolism

Métabolisme microbien

KEY TERMS AND CONCEPTS

TERMES ET CONCEPTS CLÉS

how plants make oxygen and atp

Oxygenic photosynthesis is the process plants, algae, and cyanobacteria use to capture light energy and turn it into chemical energy. It uses water as the source of electrons and releases molecular oxygen, or O2. The process also produces ATP and NADPH, which cells need for later energy use and carbon fixation.

The main reactions happen in the thylakoid membranes, where chlorophyll pigments absorb light. In cyanobacteria, these membranes come from folds in the plasma membrane. Two photosystems work together there: Photosystem II, or PSII, with reaction center P680, and Photosystem I, or PSI, with reaction center P700.

PSII starts the electron transport chain by oxidizing water in the oxygen-evolving complex. This step releases protons, electrons, and oxygen. The electrons then move to pheophytin and are passed through plastoquinone, or PQ, to the cytochrome b6f complex. This complex pumps protons across the membrane and helps build the gradient needed for ATP production.

Next, plastocyanin, a copper-containing carrier, moves electrons from cytochrome b6f to PSI. Light re-energizes the electrons in PSI, and they are passed through an iron-sulfur protein to ferredoxin. Ferredoxin-NADP+ reductase then reduces NADP+ to NADPH.

The proton gradient across the thylakoid membrane powers ATP synthase. This enzyme uses chemiosmosis to convert ADP into ATP. The ATP made here supplies energy for the Calvin cycle, where carbon fixation takes place.

In some conditions, electrons from PSI can cycle back into the electron transport chain. This cyclic electron flow makes extra ATP, but it does not produce NADPH or O2. It helps balance the ATP to NADPH ratio when the cell needs more ATP.

How Plants Make Oxygen and ATP

microbial nutrition

Microbial Energy and Carbon Sources

Microbial energy and carbon sources determine how microorganisms live and grow. These metabolic strategies help microbes survive in many habitats and keep energy moving through ecosystems. They also support nutrient cycling in nature. Microbes are grouped by where they get energy, electrons, and carbon. Phototrophs use light, while chemotrophs use chemical compounds for energy. Lithotrophs take electrons from reduced inorganic substances, and organotrophs take them from organic compounds.

atp and energy production

How Cells Make and Use ATP

ATP is the main energy carrier in cells. It is made of adenosine, which includes adenine and ribose, plus three phosphate groups. The bonds between the phosphate groups hold a large amount of potential energy. When ATP is hydrolyzed, it becomes ADP or AMP and releases energy for cell work. Cells use that energy for many essential tasks. It supports macromolecule synthesis, intracellular transport, and mechanical movement. ATP also acts as an energy manager by linking catabolic and anabolic...

redox reactions

Electron Carriers in Redox Metabolism

Redox reactions move electrons through metabolic pathways in cells. Oxidation is the loss of electrons, and reduction is the gain of electrons. These two steps happen together, which keeps electron flow moving through metabolism. A clear example appears in bacterial metabolism. Glucose is oxidized to carbon dioxide, while oxygen is reduced to water. This shows how one molecule loses electrons as another gains them. Cells use special electron carriers to make these transfers happen.

introduction to metabolism

Metabolism: Energy Use and Biomolecule Synthesis

Metabolism is the set of chemical reactions that keep living cells working. It includes reactions that break down biomolecules and reactions that build them up. These two sides of metabolism work together to support energy balance and cell function. Catabolic pathways break large molecules into smaller parts. Carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins can be broken down into monosaccharides, fatty acids, and amino acids. These reactions release energy, and cells store much of that energy as ATP, or...

carbohydrate catabolism

Glucose Breakdown and ATP Production

Glucose breakdown is a key part of cell metabolism that lets cells make ATP, the usable form of energy. The process follows two main paths: cellular respiration and fermentation. Both start with glycolysis, which does not require oxygen. Glycolysis splits one glucose molecule into two molecules of pyruvic acid. It also produces a net gain of two ATP molecules and two NADH molecules. This step sets up the cell to continue with respiration or switch to fermentation, depending on whether oxygen...

glycolysis

Glycolysis and Pyruvate Fate

Glycolysis is a central pathway in glucose catabolism and a major way cells make energy. It is also called the Embden-Meyerhof pathway. This process takes place in the cytoplasm and can work with or without oxygen, which makes it useful in many organisms and conditions. Glycolysis has ten steps and turns one glucose molecule into two pyruvate molecules. It has two phases. In the preparatory phase, the cell uses two ATP to add phosphate groups to glucose and split it into two three-carbon...

other glycolytic pathways

Pentose Phosphate Pathway and Entner-Doudoroff

The pentose phosphate pathway works alongside glycolysis in cells that need both sugar breakdown and building blocks for growth. It handles pentoses, which are five-carbon sugars, and also uses glucose as a starting point. The pathway has two parts, an oxidative phase and a non-oxidative phase. It does not make ATP directly, but its products can feed back into glycolysis when the cell needs them. The oxidative phase mainly makes NADPH, a reduced electron carrier. In this phase,...

cellular respiration

Cellular Respiration: ATP Production Pathways

Cellular respiration is the process cells use to turn glucose into ATP, the main energy molecule in the cell. It depends on oxidation and the transfer of electrons to a separate electron acceptor. This sequence of reactions supports energy production in both aerobic and anaerobic settings. Glycolysis is the first step. It takes place in the cytoplasm of both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. One glucose molecule is broken into two pyruvate molecules, and the cell gains a net 2 ATP and 2 NADH.

electron transport chain components

Electron Transport Chain and ATP Production

The electron transport chain helps cells make ATP by moving electrons through membrane protein complexes. In eukaryotic cells, it sits in the inner mitochondrial membrane. In prokaryotic cells, it is found in the plasma membrane and can differ in the number and type of complexes, depending on the organism and its environment. The chain uses several electron carriers to pass electrons along in redox reactions, which are reactions that involve oxidation and reduction. These carriers include...

chemiosmosis and atp synthesis

Electron Transport Chain Powers ATP Output

The electron transport chain powers ATP production during cellular respiration. It sits in the inner mitochondrial membrane and moves high-energy electrons from NADH and FADH2 to molecular oxygen, the final electron acceptor. As electrons move through the chain, protons are pushed across the membrane to build the gradient needed for ATP synthesis. Electrons from NADH enter the chain at Complex I, also called NADH: ubiquinone oxidoreductase. In prokaryotes, this step helps pump protons from the...

respiration pathways

TCA Cycle and Energy Pathways

Cellular respiration uses the TCA cycle, also called the Krebs cycle, to help cells make usable energy from organic molecules. This pathway is a central part of aerobic respiration and also supports biosynthesis. It links the breakdown of food molecules to the cell's energy needs. Pyruvate from glycolysis enters this process first. The pyruvate dehydrogenase complex converts pyruvate into acetyl-CoA through oxidative decarboxylation. This step produces one NADH and one carbon dioxide molecule.

microbial fermentation

Fermentation Products in Microbes

Fermentation is an anaerobic process that lets microbes make energy from sugar without oxygen or an electron transport chain. It is important in both biology and industry. The process is grouped by the products it makes. Pyruvate and its derivatives act as key electron acceptors in fermentative pathways. This step helps oxidize NADH back to NAD+, which is needed for glycolysis to keep running. Without NAD+ regeneration, glycolysis would stop and the cell would lose its main source of ATP under...

metabolism of chemolithotrophs

How Chemolithotrophs Make ATP

Chemolithotrophs make ATP by using inorganic chemicals as an energy source. They oxidize molecules such as hydrogen gas, ammonia, reduced sulfur compounds, and ferrous iron. Instead of relying on organic carbon like heterotrophs, they move electrons from these inorganic donors into the electron transport chain, or ETC. That electron flow builds a proton motive force, or PMF. The PMF drives ATP synthesis through oxidative phosphorylation. Because inorganic electron donors usually release less...

amino acid catabolism

Microbes Use Proteins for Energy

Microbes can use proteins as a carbon and energy source, especially when polysaccharides or lipids are scarce. But proteins are too large to pass through the plasma membrane on their own. To solve this, microbes secrete extracellular proteases and peptidases that break proteins into peptides. The peptides are then transported into the cell, where intracellular proteases cut them into free amino acids. Once amino acids are available, microbes break them down in two main ways: deamination and...

lipid catabolism

How Microbes Break Down Fats for Energy

Microbes break down triglycerides and fatty acids to make energy. Triglycerides are important long-term energy storage molecules in microorganisms. Lipases hydrolyze, or split with water, triglycerides into glycerol and free fatty acids. Each product then enters a different metabolic route that helps the cell make ATP, the main energy currency. Glycerol metabolism begins after glycerol is released from triglyceride hydrolysis. Glycerol kinase adds a phosphate group to form glycerol-3-phosphate.

oxygenic photosynthesis

Oxygenic photosynthesis is the process plants, algae, and cyanobacteria use to capture light energy and turn it into chemical energy. It uses water as the source of electrons and releases molecular oxygen, or O2. The process also produces ATP and NADPH, which cells need for later energy use and carbon fixation. The main reactions happen in the thylakoid membranes, where chlorophyll pigments absorb light. In cyanobacteria, these membranes come from folds in the plasma membrane. Two photosystems...

anoxygenic photosynthesis

Bacterial Light Capture Without Oxygen

Anoxygenic photosynthesis is a bacterial way to capture light energy without making oxygen. It supports carbon fixation, but it does not use water as the electron donor. Instead, these phototrophs use other electron donors such as hydrogen sulfide, elemental sulfur, thiosulfate, or organic compounds. This process is carried out by several groups of bacteria, including purple bacteria, green sulfur bacteria, heliobacteria, and other anoxygenic phototrophs. These organisms have evolved a...

biosynthesis in bacteria

How Bacteria Build Key Macromolecules

Bacteria build essential macromolecules through tightly controlled biosynthetic pathways. These anabolic reactions make proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, and polysaccharides. The products support growth, cell division, and normal cell function. Bacterial biosynthesis starts with precursor metabolites from glycolysis, the pentose phosphate pathway, and the Krebs cycle. Important precursors include pyruvate, acetyl-CoA, and glucose-6-phosphate. Cells use these compounds to make the monomers that...

carbon-dioxide fixation

Microbial Carbon Fixation Pathways

Microbial carbon fixation pathways let prokaryotes turn carbon dioxide into organic molecules. This process supports biosynthesis, helps sustain ecosystems, and plays a role in the global carbon cycle. It also has industrial uses in carbon capture and bioproduct synthesis. Autotrophic organisms depend on this process to use CO2 as a carbon source in many environments. The Calvin cycle is the most common carbon fixation pathway. Cyanobacteria and other autotrophic prokaryotes use it, and it...

biosynthesis of polysaccharides

Activated Sugars for Polysaccharide Synthesis

Activated sugars drive polysaccharide synthesis in cells. Glycogen and starch are built from nucleoside diphosphate sugars, mainly uridine diphosphate glucose (UDPG) and adenosine diphosphate glucose (ADPG). These sugar donors act as high-energy intermediates in carbohydrate metabolism and biosynthesis. UDPG supports glycogen synthesis in animals and many bacteria. It forms when glucose-1-phosphate reacts with uridine triphosphate (UTP). UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase catalyzes this reaction.

inorganic nitrogen assimilation

Nitrogen Uptake by Microbes

Nitrogen uptake by microbes is essential for making proteins, nucleic acids, and other cell parts. Many bacteria and archaea take in nitrogen as nitrate or ammonia. They then convert it into forms that can be built into biomolecules. When nitrate enters a cell, it goes through assimilatory nitrate reduction. This is a two-step process. First, nitrate reductase changes nitrate to nitrite using NADH or FAD as an electron donor, depending on environmental and cellular conditions. Then nitrite...

sulfur assimilation

Sulfur Uptake and Cysteine Synthesis

Sulfur uptake and cysteine synthesis are key parts of microbial metabolism. Sulfur is needed to build important biomolecules, including the amino acids cysteine and methionine, as well as cofactors such as coenzyme A and biotin. Microorganisms usually take in sulfur from the environment as sulfate, but sulfate must be changed before cells can use it. Because sulfate is highly oxidized, it must go through assimilatory sulfate reduction to become biologically useful. Some microorganisms can also...

amino acid biosynthetic pathways

Amino Acid Building from Cell Metabolites

Amino acid biosynthesis lets cells build amino acids from common metabolic intermediates. These amino acids support cell growth, protein synthesis, and metabolic regulation. The main source molecules come from glycolysis, the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, and the pentose phosphate pathway. Key precursors include alpha-ketoglutarate, pyruvate, oxaloacetate, phosphoenolpyruvate, and erythrose-4-phosphate. They supply the carbon skeletons needed to form amino acids. Nitrogen must also be added...

biosynthesis of nucleic acids

Nucleotide Building Blocks for DNA and RNA

Nucleotide biosynthesis makes the building blocks needed for DNA and RNA. Cells use this pathway to make purine and pyrimidine nucleotides and keep their supply balanced. That balance helps protect genetic integrity and supports normal cell function. Purine nucleotide synthesis starts with ribose-5-phosphate, a sugar made in the pentose phosphate pathway. PRPP synthetase adds phosphate groups to form phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate, or PRPP, which is the activated starting point for the pathway.

biosynthesis of lipids

How Membrane Lipids Vary Across Life

Membrane lipids vary across Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya, and these differences help cells survive in different environments. The three domains of life make lipids through distinct biosynthetic pathways. Those pathways create membranes with different stability, permeability, and flexibility. Bacteria and eukaryotes both build fatty acid-based lipids from acetyl-CoA and malonyl-CoA. The pathway includes condensation, reduction, and dehydration steps. Bacteria use a type II fatty acid...

formation of lipopolysaccharides

Lipopolysaccharides and Gram-Negative Defense

Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) are important parts of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria. They help stabilize the membrane and help protect bacteria from host immune responses. LPS has three main parts: lipid A, a core oligosaccharide, and an O antigen. LPS biosynthesis and assembly depend on a coordinated set of enzymes and transport steps. The molecule is also known as an endotoxin. It can activate Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) in the host and trigger strong immune responses. In severe...

key terms and concepts

Explore how light energy drives oxygenic photosynthesis, from water splitting in PSII to ATP and NADPH production in thylakoid membranes.

How Plants Make Oxygen and ATP | JoVE K12

JoVE Core Microbiology provides an engaging introduction to the microbial world and its influence on health, industry, and the environment. This comprehensive collection covers key concepts such as microbial structure, metabolism, genetics, and ecology. It introduces essential laboratory techniques and microscopy methods through visually engaging animations. Corresponding scientist-in-action videos bridge classroom concepts with real-world research and applications.

microbiology

3.3.9-12.N

What is Climate?

Climate refers to the prevailing weather conditions in a specific area over an extended period. As the saying goes, &#8220;Climate is what you expect. ...

Global Climate Change

Throughout its ~4.5 billion year history, the Earth has experienced periods of warming and cooling. However, the current drastic increase in global ...

Ecological Disturbance

An ecological disturbance is a temporary disruption in the environment resulting from abiotic, biotic, or anthropogenic factors, causing a pronounced ...

Climate Change

The certainty of climate change remains a public controversy despite the consensus among approximately 97% of active climate researchers, who not only ...

using-topographic-maps-to-generate-topographic-profiles

Using Topographic Maps to Generate Topographic Profiles

Source: Laboratory of Alan Lester - University of Colorado Boulder
Topographic maps are &#34;plan-view&#34; representations of Earth&#39;s ...

Radiation: Applications

The average temperature of Earth is the subject of much current discussion. Earth is in radiative contact with both the Sun and dark space; it receives ...

Momentum And Radiation Pressure

An object absorbing an electromagnetic wave would experience a force in the direction of propagation of the wave. This force occurs because ...

Radiation Pressure: Problem Solving

The radiation pressure applied by an electromagnetic wave on a perfectly absorbing surface equals the energy density of the wave. The wave&#39;s momentum ...

The Electromagnetic Spectrum

The electromagnetic spectrum consists of all the types of electromagnetic radiation arranged according to their frequency and wavelength. Each of the ...

What is Weather?

Overview

Weather refers to the current state of atmospheric conditions at a specific time and place. Weather is temporary and is influenced by the ...

The Wave Nature of Light

The nature of light has been a subject of inquiry since antiquity. In the seventeenth century, Isaac Newton performed experiments with lenses and prisms ...

Mechanisms of Heat Transfer I

Just as interesting as the effects of heat transfer on a system are the methods by which the heat transfer occur. Whenever there is a temperature ...

Mechanisms of Heat Transfer II

In convection, thermal energy is carried by the large-scale flow of matter. Ocean currents and large-scale atmospheric circulation, which result from the ...

Students who demonstrate understanding can analyze geoscience data to make the claim that one change to Earth's surface can create feedback that causes changes to other Earth systems.  Clarification Statement: Examples should include climate feedbacks, such as how an increase in greenhouse gases causes a rise in global temperatures that melts glacial ice, which reduces the amount of sunlight reflected from Earth's surface, increasing surface temperatures and further reducing the amount of ice.  Examples could also be taken from other system interactions, such as how the loss of ground vegetation causes an increase in water runoff and soil erosion;  how dammed rivers increase groundwater recharge, decrease sediment transport, and increase coastal erosion;  or how the loss of wetlands causes a decrease in local humidity that further reduces the wetland extent.  Assessment Boundary:

3.3.9-12.H

Igneous Intrusive Rock

Source: Laboratory of Alan Lester - University of Colorado Boulder
Igneous rocks are products of the cooling and crystallization of high temperature ...

Igneous Volcanic Rock

Source: Laboratory of Alan Lester - University of Colorado Boulder
Igneous rocks are the products of cooling and crystallization of magma. Volcanic rocks ...

an-overview-of-alkenone-biomarker-analysis-for-paleothermometry

An Overview of Alkenone Biomarker Analysis for Paleothermometry

Source: Laboratory of Jeff Salacup&#160;- University of Massachusetts Amherst
Throughout this series of videos, natural samples were extracted and ...

Making a Geologic Cross Section

Source: Laboratory of Alan Lester - University of Colorado Boulder
Geologic maps were first made and utilized in Europe, in the mid-to-late 18th century. ...

Conditions on Early Earth

Nuclear Stability

Protons and neutrons, collectively called nucleons, are packed together tightly in a nucleus. With a radius of about 10&#8722;15 meters, a nucleus is ...

Radioactivity and Nuclear Equations

Nuclear chemistry is the study of reactions that involve changes in nuclear structure. The nucleus of an atom is composed of protons and, except for ...

Radioactive Decay and Radiometric Dating

Radioactivity is a spontaneous disintegration of an unstable nuclide and is a random process, as all the nuclei in the sample do not decay simultaneously. ...

Types of Radioactivity

The most common types of radioactivity are &#945; decay, &#946; decay, &#947; decay, neutron emission, and electron capture.
Alpha (&#945;) decay is the ...

Nuclear Power

Controlled nuclear fission reactions are used to generate electricity. Any nuclear reactor that produces power via the fission of uranium or plutonium by ...

Isotopes and Radioisotopes

In the early 1900s, English chemist Frederick Soddy realized that an element could have atoms with different masses that were chemically ...

Nuclear Fusion

The process of converting very light nuclei into heavier nuclei is also accompanied by the conversion of mass into large amounts of energy, a process ...

Nuclear Transmutation

Nuclear transmutation is the conversion of one nuclide into another. It can occur by the radioactive decay of a nucleus, or the reaction of a nucleus with ...

determining-spatial-orientation-rock-layers-with-brunton

Determining Spatial Orientation of Rock Layers with the Brunton Compass

Source: Laboratory of Alan Lester - University of Colorado Boulder
Most rock units exhibit some form of planar surfaces or linear features. Examples ...

Dynamics of Structures

Source:&#160;Roberto Leon, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
It is rare nowadays that a whole year goes by ...

Sound Waves and Doppler Shift

Source: Arianna Brown,&#160;Asantha Cooray, PhD, Department of Physics &#38; Astronomy, School of Physical Sciences, University of California, Irvine, CA
...

Reflection of Waves

When a wave travels from one medium to another, it gets reflected at the boundary of the second medium. A common example of this is when a person yells at ...

Students who demonstrate understanding can develop a model based on evidence of Earth's interior to describe the cycling of matter by thermal convection.  Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on both a one-dimensional model of Earth, with radial layers determined by density, and a three-dimensional model, which is controlled by mantle convection and the resulting plate tectonics.  Examples of evidence include maps of Earth's three-dimensional structure obtained from seismic waves, records of the rate of change of Earth's magnetic field (as constraints on convection in the outer core), and identification of the composition of Earth's layers from high-pressure laboratory experiments.  Assessment Boundary:

3.3.9-12.I

Role of Water in Human Biology

Water is the one of the most significant components of the human body; it plays a crucial role in several physiological activities because of its unique ...

States of Water

Water exists in any one of the three classical states: solid (ice), liquid (water), and gas (steam or water vapor). The state of water depends on i) the ...

The Water Cycle

The Earth&rsquo;s hydrosphere includes all of the areas where the storage and movement of water occurs. Since water is the basis of all living processes, ...

Cohesion

Cohesion is the attraction between molecules of the same type, such as water molecules. Water molecules have an overall neutral charge but are polar ...

physical-and-chemical-properties-of-matter

Physical and Chemical Properties of Matter

The characteristics that enable us to distinguish one substance from another are called properties.

Physical Properties of Matter

A physical property is ...

Chemistry of the Cell

The cell is chemically composed of water, organic molecules and inorganic ions.
Water
The polarity of the water molecule and its resulting hydrogen ...

Water: A Bronsted-Lowry Acid and Base

The reaction between a Br&#248;nsted-Lowry acid and water is called acid ionization. For example, when hydrogen fluoride dissolves in water and ionizes, ...

The potential of hydrogen (pH) is a measure of the acidity or basicity of a water-based solution determined by the concentration of hydronium ions (H3O+). ...

Solvents

A solvent is a substance, most often a liquid, that can dissolve other substances. Here, the substance being dissolved is called a solute. When a solvent ...

Adhesion

Adhesion occurs when one type of molecule is attracted to a different molecule. Water exhibits adhesive properties in the presence of polar surfaces, such ...

Students who demonstrate understanding can plan and conduct an investigation of the properties of water and its effects on Earth materials and surface processes. [cite: 44] Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on mechanical and chemical investigations with water and a variety of solid materials to provide the evidence for connections between the hydrologic cycle and system interactions commonly known as the rock cycle. [cite: 45] Examples of mechanical investigations include stream transportation and deposition using a stream table, erosion using variations in soil moisture content, or frost wedging by the expansion of water as it freezes. [cite: 46] Examples of chemical investigations include chemical weathering and recrystallization (by testing the solubility of different materials) or melt generation (by examining how water lowers the melting temperature of most solids). [cite: 47] Assessment Boundary:

3.3.9-12.K

What are Biogeochemical Cycles?

The most common elements in organic molecules, carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus, are only available in the ecosystem in limited ...

The Carbon Cycle

Carbon is the basis of all organic matter on Earth, and is recycled through the ecosystem in two primary processes: one in which carbon is exchanged among ...

What is Photosynthesis?

Photosynthesis is a multipart, biochemical process that occurs in plants as well as in some bacteria. It captures carbon dioxide and solar energy to ...

Students who demonstrate understanding can develop a quantitative model to describe the cycling of carbon among the hydrosphere, atmosphere, geosphere, and biosphere. [cite: 154] Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on modeling biogeochemical cycles that include the cycling of carbon through the ocean, atmosphere, soil, and biosphere (including humans), providing the foundation for living organisms. [cite: 155] Assessment Boundary:

How Plants Make Oxygen and ATP

Description

Transcript

Tags

More videos by Standards