Chemicals may also be considered from a potential energy or kinetic energy standpoint. One pound of sugar has a certain potential energy. If that pound of sugar is burned the energy is released all at once. So much is released that organisms would burn up if all the energy was released at once. Organisms must release the energy a little bit at a time.
Energy is defined as the ability to do work.
Cells convert potential energy, usually in the from of C-C covalent bonds or ATP molecules, into kinetic energy to accomplish cell division, growth, biosynthesis, and active transport, among other things. I have tried to add a link to each that will direct you to a part of this chapter or another website that will facilitate your completion of the objective. 2.Entropy is a measure of the degree of randomness or disorder of systems. Explain how life maintains a high degree of organization. Energy is available to autotrophs from the sun and to heterotrophs by the respiration of complex organic molecules.