Question

What is photosynthesis ? Describe it with a suitable diagram.

Hint:

To remember the key components, think of photosynthesis as a recipe. The ingredients are carbon dioxide, water, and sunlight. The special equipment is chlorophyll. The final dishes are glucose (food) and oxygen (waste product).

Answer 1

What is Photosynthesis?
Photosynthesis is the process used by plants, algae, and some bacteria to convert light energy into chemical energy in the form of glucose (a sugar). This chemical energy is used to fuel the organism's activities. It is the foundation of nearly all life on Earth as it produces the oxygen we breathe and the food that consumers eat.
The overall balanced chemical equation for photosynthesis is:
\[ 6CO_2 \text{(Carbon Dioxide)} + 6H_2O \text{(Water)} \xrightarrow{\text{Sunlight} \atop \text{Chlorophyll}} C_6H_{12}O_6 \text{(Glucose)} + 6O_2 \text{(Oxygen)} \] Description of the Process
\begin{enumerate} \item Plants take in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through small pores in their leaves called stomata. \item Water is absorbed from the soil through the roots and transported to the leaves via the xylem. \item Inside the leaf cells, in organelles called chloroplasts, a green pigment called chlorophyll traps energy from sunlight. \item This trapped light energy is used to split water molecules (photolysis) and combine the resulting components with carbon dioxide in a series of chemical reactions. \item The final products are glucose, which the plant uses for energy and growth (and can store as starch), and oxygen, which is released into the atmosphere as a byproduct. \end{enumerate} Diagram Description
(A simple diagram can be drawn to illustrate the process) \[\begin{array}{rl} \bullet & \text{Draw a simple plant with leaves, a stem, and roots in the soil.} \\ \bullet & \text{Draw the sun above the plant, with arrows representing Sunlight shining onto the leaves.} \\ \bullet & \text{Draw an arrow pointing into a leaf labeled "\(CO_2\) In".} \\ \bullet & \text{Draw an arrow pointing out of a leaf labeled "\(O_2\) Out".} \\ \bullet & \text{Draw arrows showing Water (\(H_2O\)) being absorbed by the roots and moving up the stem to the leaves.} \\ \bullet & \text{You can label a leaf to indicate that this process occurs in the chloroplasts containing chlorophyll.} \\ \end{array}\]