what-is-the-minimum-number-of-whole-glucose-molecules-required-to-produce-at-lea

Question

What is the minimum number of whole glucose molecules required to produce at least 100 ATP when metabolized only by glycolysis (2 ATP per glucose) versus when fully oxidized aerobically (36 ATP per glucose)?

Accepted Answer

Glycolysis-only: 50 glucose molecules; Aerobic: 3 glucose molecules (rounded up to whole molecules).

Answer

Glycolysis-only: 3 glucose molecules; Aerobic: 50 glucose molecules because aerobic yields less ATP per glucose than glycolysis.

Answer

Both pathways require exactly 100 glucose molecules because ATP is produced at a fixed rate per minute independent of pathway choice.

Answer

Glycolysis-only: 25 glucose molecules; Aerobic: 1 glucose molecule because 36 ATP is approximately equivalent to 100 ATP when accounting for inefficiencies.