Breathing or respiration?
One physical, one chemical.
Same or different?
People sometimes use breathing and respiration as if they mean the same.
Are they the same thing?
What this lesson covers
The idea
Breathing brings in oxygen and removes carbon dioxide and is a physical process, while respiration uses oxygen to break down food and release energy and is a chemical process occurring inside the body.
Same or different?
People sometimes use breathing and respiration as if they mean the same.
Are they the same thing?
- No, one is physical and the other is chemical
- Yes, they are exactly the same
- Only one of them is needed
Sort them
Sort the six statements into Breathing or Respiration.
Two different processes
Breathing moves air and gases. Respiration is the chemical change that breaks down food and releases energy inside the body. Both are essential for survival.
Breathing brings in oxygen and removes carbon dioxide and is a physical process, while respiration uses oxygen to break down food and release energy and is a chemical process occurring inside the body.
- Point | Breathing | Respiration
- Kind of process | Physical | Chemical
- What it does | Brings in oxygen, removes carbon dioxide | Uses oxygen to break down food and release energy
Notes
Breathing brings in oxygen and removes carbon dioxide and is a physical process, while respiration uses oxygen to break down food and release energy and is a chemical process occurring inside the body.
Check yourself
Which of these is a physical process?
Which process uses oxygen to break down food and release energy?
Where does respiration take place?
Which process removes carbon dioxide from the body into the air?
- Breathing — correct. Yes!
- Respiration. Respiration is a chemical process that breaks down food.
- Neither of them. Breathing is a physical process.
- Breathing. Breathing brings in oxygen and removes carbon dioxide. It does not break down food.
- Respiration — correct. Yes!
- Egestion. Egestion is passing stool out of the body.
- Only in the nose. Air comes in through the nose, but respiration occurs inside the body.
- Only in the air outside. Respiration is a chemical process that occurs inside the body.
- Inside the body — correct. Yes!
- Breathing — correct. Yes!
- Respiration. Respiration uses oxygen to break down food. Breathing removes carbon dioxide.
- Digestion. Digestion breaks complex food into simpler forms. Breathing removes carbon dioxide.