Question

q3.6. some students have the misconception that during cellular respiration, the matter in glucose is somehow turned into energy. consider that when we exercise, we burn glucose and also lose mass. why does this happen? our cells use up the potential energy stored in glucose, and losing that energy during exercise reduces our mass. our cells convert the mass in glucose into energy, which is weightless. losing that energy during exercise reduces our mass. our cells convert glucose into energy that is used during exercise. our cells convert glucose into co2 and water, which are eliminated from our bodies when we exercise.

Explanation:

When we exercise, glucose is broken - down in cellular respiration. During this process, the chemical energy stored in glucose is released and converted into energy that our cells can use for work. As for the loss of mass, the carbon and hydrogen atoms in glucose combine with oxygen during respiration. The carbon is released as carbon - dioxide ($CO_2$) and the hydrogen combines with oxygen to form water ($H_2O$). These are exhaled or excreted from the body, thus reducing our mass.

Answer:

When we exercise, glucose is oxidized in cellular respiration. The chemical energy in glucose is converted to usable energy for cells. The mass loss occurs because the carbon in glucose is exhaled as $CO_2$ and hydrogen is excreted as part of water, reducing our overall mass.