Light energy from the sun is converted into chemical energy by chlorophyll.Photosynthesis is the process that enables plants to get energy from the sun.Farmers can ensure that the plant is grown in the right kind of soil to make sure it grows healthily. Plants also need minerals, which they take from the soil. The amount of carbon dioxide in the air.įarmers can’t control these factors very well in a field, but they can if the plant is grown in a greenhouse.Scientists have found out that there are three factors that control photosynthesis. The basic photosynthesis word equation is:Ĭarbon Dioxide + Water + Light Energy = Glucose + Oxygen How Studying Photosynthesis Helps Farmers To Grow More Food The chemical equation for photosynthesis can also be written:ĦCO 2 + 6H 2O + light = C 6H 12O 6 + 6O 2 Photosynthesis word equation This means that 6 molecules of carbon dioxide and twelve molecules of water are used (together with the sunlight) to produce glucose, six molecules of oxygen and six molecules of water. The chemical equation for photosynthesis is:ĦCO 2 + 12H 2O + light = C 6H 12O 6 + 6O 2 + 6H 2O What Is The Chemical Equation For Photosynthesis? Water is absorbed into the plant through its roots. The one other main requirement for photosynthesis is water. Oxygen is very important for animals like humans – we need it to breathe! Plants collect carbon dioxide through tiny holes called stomates.ĭuring the process of photosynthesis, stomates are also used to expel a gas called oxygen. Carbon dioxide is a gas that is present in the air. Other Requirements For Photosynthesis – Carbon Dioxide And WaterĪs well as the light energy from the sun, other substances are required in photosynthesis. All living organisms are made up of cells. (A cell is one of the tiny building blocks that makes a living organism.) Photosynthesis takes place in the chloroplasts. The chemical that gives plants their green colour – chlorophyll – is the same substance that converts light energy into chemical energy.Ĭhlorophyll is found in chloroplasts – tiny objects found in leaf cells. Very little, if any, occurs in other parts of the plant. Photosynthesis occurs mainly in the leaves of plants. This chemical energy is stored in the form of a sugar called glucose. Photosynthesis is the process plants use to change light energy into chemical energy. The energy that the plant collected from the sun is now used by your own body! Thanks to photosynthesis you can run around and have fun with your friends! Photosynthesis is required to produce food What Is Photosynthesis? Your mother buys the plant and uses it in your dinner. The plant is prepared for sale and transported to a supermarket. Towards the end of summer, the farmer harvests the field. During this process, the plant also absorbs carbon dioxide from the air and emits oxygen. Its leaves convert more light energy into chemical energy, using photosynthesis. Throughout the spring and summer, the plant continues to grow. This light energy is converted into food for the plant by photosynthesis. A chemical in the leaf – the same chemical that gives the leaf its green colour – captures the energy from the sunlight. It is a beautiful spring day, and the sun is shining brightly.Ī leaf curls out from the shoot. From a distance, the entire field starts to look green, rather than brown. It is now spring, and a shoot emerges from the seed and begins to work its way upwards through the soil.įinally, the shoot breaks through the surface. It is one of many thousands planted in the same field. When you realise that everything you eat has at some point obtained its energy from photosynthesis then it all gets a little more interesting! Photosynthesis Example If you have eaten meat then it was an animal that ate plants… or an animal that ate animals that ate plants! Photosynthesis takes place in the leaves of plants.Ĭan you remember what you have eaten today? If you have eaten plants (like fruit, vegetables, or cereal) then the energy in that food was obtained from the sun – using photosynthesis! It may not sound too important when put like that, but when you start to think about where our food comes from, then it gets a lot more interesting. In a nutshell, photosynthesis is a process that enables plants to get energy from the sun. What is photosynthesis, and why is it so important? This article, written for kids (& inquisitive adults!), sets out to answer just that question!