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Capillary Exchange Virtual Lab
Investigate how cells use fuel and oxygen to release usable energy, then use evidence from your trials to explain M'Kenna's exercise difficulty and weight loss.
Run the Reaction
Change the amount of glucose and oxygen available to a cell. Which reactant becomes the limiting factor?
Represents fuel molecules available to the cell.
Complete respiration requires oxygen.
Cellular Respiration Model
Glucose+O₂
→
CO₂+H₂O+ATP
Ready to run a trial.
Glucose used
0
Oxygen used
0
CO₂ produced
0
ATP energy units
0
oxygen-rich red blood cell
oxygen
glucose
CO₂-carrying red blood cell
water
Watch the pathway: oxygen arrives on red blood cells while glucose travels in the plasma → both move from the capillary toward tissue cells → the red blood cells continue flowing, become oxygen-poor, pick up carbon dioxide, and carry it away → water remains dissolved in the plasma and leaves with the blood.
Fuel Choice Lab
Keep exercise demand constant. Change available glucose and fat stores. What fuel does the body rely on?
Fuel Use
Set your conditions and run a trial.
Glucose contribution
0%
Fat contribution
0%
ATP supply
0
Demand met
—
Student Data Table
| Trial | Glucose | Fat | O₂ | Demand | ATP | Met? |
|---|
Exercise Challenge
Can the muscles produce ATP quickly enough to match exercise demand?
A simplified variable representing how well cells can release usable energy from available fuels.
Exercise Results
Ready.
ATP production
0
Exercise demand
0
Estimated endurance
—
CO₂ output
0
Recorded Trials
| Trial | Intensity | Glucose | Fat | O₂ | Efficiency | ATP | Endurance |
|---|
M'Kenna Investigation
Case: M'Kenna is losing weight and has difficulty keeping up during exercise. Her body still contains stored fat. Use the model to determine which explanations are supported by evidence.
A. She simply has no stored chemical energy.
B. Her cells are not receiving enough oxygen.
C. Her body has stored fuel, but her cells cannot access or use it effectively enough.
D. Her cells release less usable energy from the fuel that reaches them.
Set M'Kenna's Conditions
Case Results
Run the model and look for patterns.
ATP supplied
0
Energy demand
0
Fat used today
0
Body-store trend
—
Evidence Log
| Day | Glucose | Fat stored | Fat access | O₂ | Efficiency | ATP | Trend |
|---|