Where The Action Is

a: B-vitamins ~
b: the electrode on a spark plug

What: One of the most apt comparisons for B-vitamins is a spark plug. Spark plugs are an essential part of converting the potential energy in gasoline to useful mechanical energy. But the analogy should be expanded a bit to make it more instructive. In particular,B-vitamins are typically co-factors for the enzymes that convert food into useful energy that a cell can use. Enzymes are biological catalysis that lower the activation energy of all biochemical reactions. By design(?) they are not consumed in the reactions that they catalyze. B-Vitamins are co-factors for enzymes. Often,the the body can not synthesize sufficient quantities, so sometimes, it helps to take supplements. So, the analogy is an association between enzymes and their respective vitamins with a spark plug and one of its essential parts, the electrode. Like an enzyme, the spark plug is responsible for helping convert chemical energy into mechanical energy. Most of the mass of a spark plug is used to hold it in the engine over a long period of time. The part that actually participates in the energy conversion is the electrode.

Useful?
Writer: Not Stated
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Date: Dec 25 2013 3:04 PM


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