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9th grade Photosynthesis: the balanced equation and where the energy goes worksheet

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Photosynthesis: the balanced equation and where the energy goes

Grade 9 Science Worksheet

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

  1. Read this first

    Use this

    Flow diagram (model, not to scale), drawn inside the chloroplast. Inputs in boxes on the left: 6CO₂; 6H₂O. Outputs in boxes on the right: C₆H₁₂O₆; 6O₂. A wavy arrow points into the reaction: light energy.

  2. Luz counts oxygen atoms in 6CO₂ + 6H₂O → C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O₂. How many are on each side of the arrow?

    • 18 on the left, 12 on the right: 6 are used up in the reaction
    • 18 on the left, 18 on the right
    • 12 on the left, 12 on the right
    • 12 on the left, 18 on the right: 6 are made in the reaction
  3. Noah counts atoms in the photosynthesis equation and leaves light energy out of the count. Why is that right?

    • Light energy is not matter, so it has no atoms to count
    • Light energy changes from leaf to leaf, so no count exists
    • Light energy turns into the atoms of glucose, so it is counted there
    • Light energy is a product, so it is counted on the right
  4. Pia follows the carbon atoms in glucose through photosynthesis. Which input supplies them?

    • Light energy absorbed by chlorophyll
    • Carbon dioxide taken in through the stomata
    • Oxygen gas taken in from the air
    • Soil taken in through the roots
  5. Tracer test results (model data; the class only reads about it)

    setuplabel placed inlabeled oxygen gas found
    Setup 1carbon dioxideno
    Setup 2wateryes
  6. Ren's class reads about a model tracer test: each leaf gets one labeled input in the light. Which conclusion fits the table?

    • The oxygen gas came from the light energy
    • The oxygen gas came from the water
    • The oxygen gas came from the carbon dioxide
    • The oxygen gas came from both inputs equally
  7. Use this

    Flow diagram (model, not to scale), drawn inside the leaf. Inputs in boxes on the left: carbon dioxide, which enters through open stomata; water. Outputs in boxes on the right: glucose; oxygen gas. A wavy arrow points into the reaction: light energy. The stomata are closed.

  8. On a hot, dry afternoon, the guard cells of Tala's sunflower close its stomata. What happens to photosynthesis, and why?

    • It stays the same, since light energy still arrives
    • It slows, since less water can enter the leaf
    • It speeds up, since the leaf turns trapped CO₂ into O₂
    • It slows, since less carbon dioxide can enter the leaf
  9. Use this

    Flow diagram (model, not to scale), drawn inside the chloroplast. Inputs in boxes on the left: 6CO₂; 6H₂O. Outputs in boxes on the right: C₆H₁₂O₆; 6O₂. A wavy arrow points into the reaction: light energy.

  10. Zee sorts photosynthesis as endergonic or exergonic, using the flow diagram. Which choice is right?

    • Endergonic: energy goes in, and the products hold less free energy
    • Exergonic: the oxygen gas leaving the leaf carries energy out
    • Exergonic: energy is released as the glucose is built
    • Endergonic: energy goes in, and the products hold more free energy
  11. Bo reads that sunlight energy ends up as chemical energy in glucose. Where is that chemical energy stored?

    • In light that stays trapped inside the molecule
    • In heat that the leaf holds as warmth
    • In the covalent bonds between the atoms of glucose
    • In the O₂ molecules that leave the leaf
  12. Esme scales the equation up. A leaf takes in 12 CO₂ molecules, with enough water and light. How many glucose molecules can form?

    • 72 glucose molecules, since 6 × 12 = 72
    • 2 glucose molecules, since each needs 6 CO₂
    • 6 glucose molecules, since the equation has a 6
    • 12 glucose molecules, since each CO₂ makes one
  13. Flow diagram (model, not to scale), drawn inside the chloroplast. O₂, number not shown. One glucose goes with 6 O₂. Jun scales the equation up. Three glucose molecules form from the equation in the figure. How many O₂ molecules are released?

    • 6 O₂ molecules, the number in one equation
    • 3 O₂ molecules, one for each glucose
    • 18 O₂ molecules, since 3 × 6 = 18
    • 36 O₂ molecules, since 6 × 6 = 36
  14. Use this

    Flow diagram (model, not to scale), drawn inside the leaf cell. Inputs in boxes on the left: carbon dioxide; water. Outputs in boxes on the right: 4C₆H₁₂O₆; oxygen gas. A wavy arrow points into the reaction: light energy. Each CO₂ molecule holds 1 carbon atom.

  15. Kira counts carbon in 4 glucose molecules, C₆H₁₂O₆. How many carbon atoms is that, and where do they come from?

    • 24 atoms, from 24 CO₂ molecules
    • 24 atoms, from 24 H₂O molecules
    • 24 atoms, from 4 CO₂ molecules
    • 24 atoms, from soil taken in by the roots
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9th grade Photosynthesis: the balanced equation and where the energy goes worksheet – printable
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About this worksheet

Photosynthesis: the balanced equation and where the energy goes. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

  • I can write the balanced equation 6CO₂ + 6H₂O + light energy → C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O₂ and say what each coefficient and subscript means.
  • I can count carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms on both sides (6, 12 and 18) and say why the counts match: atoms are rearranged, not made or used up.
  • I can say that light energy is energy, not matter, so it adds no atoms to the count.
  • I can say where the atoms of glucose come from (carbon dioxide and water, not soil or light) and that the oxygen gas comes from splitting water.
  • I can scale the equation (12 CO₂ make 2 glucose; 3 glucose go with 18 O₂) and recompute atom counts for the bigger numbers.
  • I can say that photosynthesis is endergonic: light energy goes in and is stored in the bonds of glucose, and the reverse (glucose breakdown) is the change that releases it.

Standard: HS-LS1-5

Words to know

photosynthesis: Plants, algae and some bacteria use light to build sugar from carbon dioxide and water

reactant, product: A starting substance in an equation; a substance made in an equation

coefficient, subscript: The big number in front of a formula; the small number after an atom's symbol

balanced equation: An equation with the same number of atoms of each element on both sides

light energy: Energy carried by light; it is energy, so it has no atoms to count

glucose (C₆H₁₂O₆): The sugar made in photosynthesis; it stores energy in the bonds between its atoms

chemical energy: Energy stored in the bonds of molecules, which is released when the bonds break

endergonic, exergonic: A change that takes in free energy; a change that releases free energy

Common mistakes

Your child thought the oxygen a leaf releases comes from carbon dioxide. It comes from splitting water. Ask your child which input is split to free the oxygen.

Your child thought light becomes matter in glucose. Light is energy; the atoms come from carbon dioxide and water, and the light energy is stored in the bonds. Ask your child what light adds to glucose.

Your child thought atoms are made or used up in photosynthesis. Atoms are rearranged, so each element has the same count on both sides. Ask your child to count carbon, hydrogen and oxygen on each side.

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with photosynthesis: the balanced equation and where the energy goes?

Your child thought the oxygen a leaf releases comes from carbon dioxide. It comes from splitting water. Ask your child which input is split to free the oxygen.

Are these 9th grade science worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

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