Cellular respiration and photosynthesis are like two parts of the same story when it comes to how living things use energy. They work in very different ways.

Where the Energy Comes From:

• Photosynthesis: This process takes light energy, mostly from the sun, and turns it into chemical energy that gets stored in sugar, called glucose. It happens mainly in parts of plant cells called chloroplasts.

• Cellular Respiration: This process takes the chemical energy from glucose and changes it into ATP (adenosine triphosphate). ATP is what cells use for energy. This all takes place in a part of the cell called mitochondria.

How They Work:

• Photosynthesis: This includes two main steps:

  • The first part uses light to capture energy.
  • The second part, known as the Calvin cycle, doesn’t need light and helps to build glucose.

• Cellular Respiration: This has three main stages:

  • Glycolysis, which breaks down glucose.
  • The Krebs cycle, which continues to break it down.
  • Oxidative phosphorylation, where the energy is released to make ATP.

What They Produce:

• Photosynthesis: This process makes oxygen as a leftover product, which is great for us to breathe.

• Cellular Respiration: This process gives off carbon dioxide and water as by-products.

In short, photosynthesis is all about creating and storing energy, while cellular respiration is about using that energy for work inside cells.