How Do You Spell RESPIRATORY COEFFICIENT?

1. The term "respiratory coefficient" refers to a numerical value used in biology and biochemistry to quantify the efficiency of respiration or cellular respiration. Cellular respiration is the metabolic process by which cells convert nutrients, such as glucose, into usable energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP).

   The respiratory coefficient is calculated by dividing the volume of carbon dioxide produced (VCO2) by the volume of oxygen consumed (VO2) during respiration. This ratio represents the stoichiometric relationship or the balance between the production of carbon dioxide and the consumption of oxygen in the process of cellular respiration.

   The respiratory coefficient provides information about the type of metabolic pathway utilized by an organism or cell. Different pathways, such as aerobic respiration or anaerobic respiration, have different respiratory coefficients. For instance, aerobic respiration, which occurs in the presence of oxygen, has a respiratory coefficient close to 1, as one molecule of glucose is completely oxidized to produce 6 molecules of carbon dioxide and 6 molecules of water.

   On the other hand, anaerobic respiration, which occurs in the absence or limited supply of oxygen, has a respiratory coefficient typically lower than 1, as glucose is not completely oxidized due to the absence of oxygen. This ratio can serve as an indicator of the type of metabolism or energy production occurring and can be used to compare the respiratory efficiencies between different organisms or cellular systems.

2. R. Quotient.

   A practical medical dictionary. By Stedman, Thomas Lathrop. Published 1920.

Common Misspellings for RESPIRATORY COEFFICIENT

The word "respiratory" originates from the Latin word "respiratio", which means "breathing" or "respiration". It is derived from the verb "respirare", which combines "re", meaning "again" or "back", and "spirare", meaning "to breathe" or "blow".

The word "coefficient" comes from the Latin word "coefficiens", which is the present participle of the verb "coefficere", meaning "to bring together", "to combine", or "to unite". It is formed by combining "co-", meaning "together" or "with", and "efficere", meaning "to make" or "to do".

Therefore, the term "respiratory coefficient" refers to a measure or value that quantitatively describes a combination or relationship related to respiration.