Essential Science Fundamentals

📋 Course Outline

1. Photosynthesis and plant nutrition
2. Respiration and genetics
3. Atoms and the periodic table
4. Metals and chemical reactions
5. Energy, heat and electricity
6. Magnetism and exam skills

📖 1. Photosynthesis and plant nutrition

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• Photosynthesis : Photosynthesis is the process where plants make their own glucose using light energy.
• Chloroplasts : Chloroplasts are the cell structures where photosynthesis takes place.
• Chlorophyll : Chlorophyll is the pigment that absorbs light energy for photosynthesis.
• Glucose : Glucose is the carbohydrate produced by photosynthesis that can be used or stored by plants.

📝 Essential Points

• Photosynthesis word equation is Carbon dioxide + Water → Glucose + Oxygen.
• Chlorophyll absorbs light energy, so plants need it to photosynthesise.
• Glucose can be used for respiration, stored as starch, or used to make cellulose.
• Factors affecting photosynthesis include light intensity, carbon dioxide concentration and temperature.

💡 Memory Hook

Chlorophyll turns light into glucose (food), giving oxygen away.

📖 2. Respiration and genetics

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions