Forms of energy

    Energy is the capacity to do work

    Work is transferring energy to an object causing it to move

    Potential Energy- Stored energy because of location or structure

            Activation energy is the energy needed to release the stored potential energy

    Kinetic Energy- Movement

1st law of thermodynamics

    -Energy cannot be created nor destroyed

        -Energy does not disappear it gets converted into non-usable energy  

2nd law of thermodynamics

    -The transfer of energy increases entropy

    -Living things increase the entropy of their surroundings

Student activity:

The class will get into four groups. Each group will be assigned one of the four topics below. Afterwards, your group will share its findings with the class.

1.     Look up how efficient a gasoline powered combustion car is. Basically what percentage of the energy from the gasoline does the car transfer into kinetic energy.

2.     Research how efficient a hybrid car is. what percentage of the energy used by the car is transferred into kinetic energy?

3.     Research how efficient an electric car is. What percentage of the energy used by the car is transferred into kinetic energy?

4.     Research how efficient is the human body. What percentage of the energy used by the body is utilized?

    Thermal Energy- Transfer of kinetic energy of the random movement of atoms to other atoms

    Chemical Energy- The energy stored in the bonds of macromolecules

Chemical reactions

    -ATP is an energy carrier molecule

        -There are other types of energy carrier molecules like electron carriers

    -Chemical energy is stored in the bonds of molecules

    -Reactants- What goes in

    -Products- What comes out

Exergonic Reaction- When the products have less energy than the reactants

    Endergonic Reaction- When the products have more energy than the reactants

        -Endergonic is making something and exergonic is using something

        -When you burn sugar to get energy that is an exergonic process

        -When a plant makes sugar that is an endergonic process

    -A coupled reaction is when an exergonic reaction provides the energy for an endergonic reaction. This is how most of the metabolic pathways work

Enzymes

    -Catalysts- A catalyst speeds up a reaction. Enzymes are a biological catalyst.

        -Enzymes speed up biological chemical reactions

            -They lower the activation energy