Mechanism of Respiration

Chemical Reactions and Equations

A physical change is one in which the shape, size, appearance or state, of a substance may
alter, but its chemical composition remains same.A change in which the composition of a
substance is altered is called as chemical change.

Acids, Bases and Salts

Acids, bases and salts are three main categories of chemical compounds. These have certain
definite properties which distinguish one class from the other.

Metals and Non-metals

The progress of the civilization was first benchmarked by man's increasing knowledge and
usage of metallic deposits in the earth's crust. Early man used stones, bones and wood to fulfill
their requirements of hunting, cooking and building.

Carbon and its Compounds

Carbon compounds are of a second type which can be prepared from minerals such as
oxygen, halogens and metals.

Periodic Classification of Elements

Initially scientists had classified elements into metal and non-metals. However, some
elements possessed properties which could neither be classified as metals nor non-metals called
metalloids.

Nutrition
The nutrition can be defined as the process which involves the utilisation of food by an
animal to obtain energy for growth and development.

Respiration
Gaseous exchange involves movements of some specialised structures. The mechanism of
taking in oxygen and giving out carbon dioxide is called breathing.

Transportation
The study of transport mechanisms in plants helps us to understand the uptake of the various
types of substances and their passage through the plants.

Excretion
Steam pressure makes the wheels of the engine move. As coal is burnt, smoke is emitted and
ash is left behind in the furnace.

Control and Coordination

As the complexity of the individuals, plants or animals increases the different cells and organs
become separated from each other by greater distance.
Reproduction
Reproduction is thus essential for continuation of the species. It ensures that the genetic
material of one generation is transmitted to the next. Each generation also produces more
offspring for the next generation.

Heredity and Evolution

Heredity is the transmission of characteristics, physical or mental from parents to offspring
that is, from one generation to the successive generation.

Reflection of Light
Light does not require a material medium for its propagation. In a given medium light travels
with a very high but finite velocity.

Refraction of Light
The deviation in the path of light when it passes from one medium to another medium of
different density is called refraction.

The Human Eye and the Colourful World

The eye lens converges these light rays to form a real, inverted and diminished image on the
retina. The light sensitive cells of the retina gets activated with the incidence of light and
generate electric signals.

Electricity
A conductor having excess electrons is said to be at a negative or at a lower potential and that
having less electrons is said to be at a positive or at a higher potential.

Magnetic Effects of Electric Current

In a magnetic field, the magnetic dipole (Two equal and oppositely magnetised poles
separated by a distance is referred to as magnetic dipole) experiences a turning force, which
tends to align it parallel to the direction of the field.

Sources of Energy
The term 'energy' used here has thus a slightly different meaning. The term 'energy' actually
means 'the useful energy' or 'the energy that we can use'; for cooking, operating machines, to run
vehicles and so on. And we get this useful energy only from specific sources, which we call
'sources of energy'

Our Environment
The abiotic environment includes the air (atmosphere), water (hydrosphere) and land
(lithosphere). The biotic environment includes the plants, animals and the microbes.

Management of Natural Resources

All our natural resources which we manipulate to satisfy human needs come from the
environment. These are air, water, soil, minerals, coal, petroleum, animals and plants.