Contrast Between Thermodynamic and Biological Terminology
Because of historical accident, students encounter a source of possible confusion between the terminology of physics and biology. Whereas the thermodynamic terms "exothermic" and "endothermic" respectively refer to processes that give out heat energy and processes that absorb heat energy, in biology the sense is effectively inverted. The metabolic terms "ectotherm" and "endotherm" respectively refer to organisms that rely largely on external heat to achieve a full working temperature, and to organisms that produce heat from within as a major factor in controlling their body temperatures.
Read more about this topic: Endotherm
Famous quotes containing the words contrast and/or biological:
“Happiness aint a thing in itselfits only a contrast with something that aint pleasant.... And so, as soon as the novelty is over and the force of the contrast dulled, it aint happiness any longer, and you have to get something fresh.”
—Mark Twain [Samuel Langhorne Clemens] (18351910)
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—The Columbia Encyclopedia, Fifth Edition, the first sentence of the article on life (based on wording in the First Edition, 1935)