Photosynthesis

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How do plants get the food they need?

All living organisms need food to grow and survive.

Plants are known as producers because they provide food for many other organisms.
Plants cannot move very much, so how do they get the food that they need?

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Nutrition in green plants

Green plants are amazing because they actually make their own food! Green plants are the only living organisms that are able to do this. All other organisms rely on plants because of the food that the plants make. What is the name of the process by which plants make their own food?
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What is photosynthesis?
Plants make their own food by photosynthesis. This process is a chemical reaction that uses light energy.

light energy
The word photosynthesis comes from the Greek language:
photo means light synthesis means putting together Photosynthesis just means putting together with light. What do green plants put together to make their food?
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Photosynthesis: raw materials

The raw materials for photosynthesis come from the air and the soil. What are these raw materials called?

What else do plants need to turn carbon dioxide and water into food?

carbon dioxide water

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Photosynthesis: energy for the reaction

Photosynthesis is a chemical reaction between carbon dioxide and water. Energy is needed for this reaction to take place. Where do plants get this energy from? light energy

carbon dioxide water

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Photosynthesis: where it happens

Plants use light energy from the Sun to power photosynthesis. Where in the leaf does this reaction take place? Photosynthesis takes place in what part of plant cells? light energy

carbon dioxide water

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Photosynthesis: where it happens

Photosynthesis takes place in plant cells with chloroplasts. Chloroplasts contain the green chemical called chlorophyll. Chlorophyll absorbs the energy from sunlight that allows carbon dioxide and water to react. What are the products of this reaction?
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light energy

chlorophyll

carbon dioxide water

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Photosynthesis: products of the reaction

The products of the reaction between carbon dioxide and water are glucose and oxygen. Which of these products is used by plants? What happens to the waste product? light energy

chlorophyll

carbon dioxide water

oxygen glucose

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Photosynthesis: products of the reaction

Glucose is the useful product for plants. light energy

Some glucose is used straightaway by plant cells, some is converted to starch for storage and later used for food.
product. This gas is transported out of the leaf into the air.

chlorophyll

carbon Oxygen is the waste dioxide water

oxygen glucose

Why is this important for humans and other living things?

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Photosynthesis: summary
Summarize the process of photosynthesis in one sentence.

Photosynthesis is a chemical reaction that takes place in the chloroplasts in green plant cells, where light energy is used to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen.

Photosynthesis is a chemical reaction which means it can also be summarized in a word equation. What is the word equation for this vital chemical reaction?
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Photosynthesis: word equation

light energy

carbon dioxide

water
chlorophyll

glucose

oxygen

light energy
chlorophyll

carbon dioxide

oxygen glucose

water
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Photosynthesis: word equation activity

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Word equation to chemical equation

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Energy for life

Every living cell in your body needs energy. The average adult has about 50 million million cells thats a lot of energy!

energy

Where does all this energy come from? In body cells, the energy needed for life comes from the chemical energy stored in glucose. We eat to obtain energy from food (plants). Boardworks Ltd 2004

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