7. Energy and Metabolism

Which of the following is an example of potential energy?

a) Water rushing over a water fall.

b) A glucose molecule.

c) A spring being released and expanding rapidly.

d) An ant foraging (moving around) for food.

Which of the following is NOT a form of kinetic energy?

a) When the temperature of a substance rises causing the molecules of that substance to move faster.

b) When a hockey puck slides across the ice after being hit by a player.

c) When glucose molecules are broken down to create energy for cellular work.

d) When the molecules of the air vibrate transmitting soundwaves.

Why are the principles of thermodynamics important for the study of biology?

a) The principles of thermodynamics govern the chemical processes in all biological organisms.

b) The principles of thermodynamics govern how an organism exchanges energy with their environment.

c) The principles of thermodynamics govern how all life on Earth exchanges energy.

d) All of the above.

Which of the following is NOT an example of a biological system?

a) A human eating a cheeseburger.

b) A coral reef where energy and mass both enter and exit.

c) The digestive system of an organism absorbing food energy and discarding food waste.

d) The universe where the amount of energy and mass is constant.

Most cells cannot harness heat to perform work because a. heat does not involve a transfer of energy. b. cells do not have much thermal energy; they are relatively cool. c. temperature is usually uniform throughout a cell. d. heat can never be used to do work.