PrepareRespiratory System · 2 min read
Introduction
Introduction to Respiration
Respiration is the way our body takes in air and turns it into the power we need to do work.
Respiration is the process of taking in oxygen and using it to produce energy in the form of ATP.
It is simply the way our cells get the fuel they need to keep us alive.
When you breathe, your body moves oxygen around, uses it inside your cells, and then breathes out waste like carbon dioxide and water.
The energy your body makes from this process is what all your cells use for their work every day, like when you are walking to school or playing football.
This process is like a chemical factory inside your body where food is broken down to give you strength.
It means that tiny helpers called enzymes break down the sugar from your food to give you energy.
Phases or Stages of Respiration
External respiration is basically the way we breathe in and out.
External Respiration involves the process of breathing.
This is just the simple act of taking air into your body and letting it out.
This part involves taking air or oxygen into the organs we use for breathing, like our lungs or the gills in a fish.
When you draw air into your chest, it is called inspiration.
After this, you must breathe out waste like carbon dioxide and water vapor into the air, which we call expiration.
To put it simply, external respiration is how living things swap gases with the air around them.
External respiration is the exchange of gases between the environment and the respiratory organs of living organisms.
It is just the gas exchange between your lungs and the outside world.
Internal respiration is what happens deep inside your cells to bring out energy from food.
Internal Respiration is the oxidation of food substances within the cells.
It is the chemical way your cells burn food to get power.
This internal process creates three things: energy, carbon dioxide, and water.
The oxygen you got from breathing in helps this internal work to happen.
Because of this, your cells produce and give off carbon dioxide, water, and energy.
We can show how this happens using a chemical formula:
C6H12O6 + 6O2 -> 6H2O + 6CO2 + Energy (ATP)
Key points
- •Respiration is the biochemical process of breaking down glucose through enzyme-controlled reactions to release energy (ATP).
- •External respiration involves breathing, which includes inspiration (inhaling oxygen) and expiration (exhaling carbon dioxide and water vapor).
- •Internal respiration is the oxidation of food substances within cells, releasing energy, carbon dioxide, and water.
- •The overall chemical equation for respiration is C6H12O6 + 6O2 → 6H2O + 6CO2 + Energy (ATP).