Energy Transfer

Primer
SS 140
Prof. Revin Santos
Today’s Objectives
• Revisit the first law of thermodynamics relates to energy
balance and work
• Differentiate potential and kinetic energy
• Provide examples of exergonic and endergonic chemical
processes in the body
Its all about…
ENERGY Mechanical
SOURCE
(FOOD) Energy

or
?
‘Extracting energy from the stored
nutrients and transferring it to the
contractile proteins of skeletal muscle
greatly influences exercise
performance…’
McArdle, William D., Frank Katch & Victor Katch. Exercise Physiology. 5th edition. Lippincott Williams
& Wilkins: PA, USA 2001
Revisit Key Concepts
1st Law of Thermodynamics
• Energy cannot be created nor destroyed
• Only transformed from one form to another
• Principle of ‘Conservation of Energy’
• Applies in both living and non-living systems.

But why do we say ‘Production of Energy’?

Non-Living Systems

Electrical Energy

Light + Heat
Living Systems
How are they different?
• Students: Compare/differentiate in your own words….

• Living Systems – goes through a cascade of reactions that

transform or release energy one step at a time.

• Non-living systems where reactions are instantaneous.

Potential and Kinetic Energy
• Potential Energy(PE) – Stored energy – examples?

• Kinetic Energy (KE) – Release in mechanical and other forms

+ HEAT – examples?

‘Releasing of potential energy transforms it into kinetic energy of

motion’
Biosynthesis
• PE or bound energy is necessary in the creation or synthesis of
biological compounds and tissues.

• Potential energy from one substance is directly transferred to

another substance to increase its potential energy.

• We are made up of reconfigured atoms and molecules.

Energy Release and
Conservation Processes
Free Energy
• Useful energy needed for the life-sustaining processes of biologic
work in the cell.
Exergonic
• any physical, metabolic, or chemical process that result in
release(freeing) of free energy to its surroundings.
• Downhill or decline of energy
Endergonic
• Absorption and storage of free energy
• Uphill or increase in free energy
Energy Transfer in Cells
Carbohydrates, lipid and protein macronutrients = potential energy

All living cells rely primarily on chemical energy, utilizing PE from the
chemical bonds of energy sources.
or
Living cells are can extract and utilize energy stored in atomic
structures.

Living cells can also bond atoms and molecules together, raising the
level of PE.
McArdle, W. D., Katch, F. I., & Katch, V. L. (2010). Exercise physiology: nutrition, energy, and human performance
Individual Reflection
1. Does our body really produce energy? Why or why
not?
2. How does the concepts of energy transfer relate to
physical performance?
3. What type of energy transfer process do plants
undergo?