Final answer:
The respiratory quotient (RQ) measures the ratio of CO₂ production to O₂ consumption. The average RQ values for fat and protein are about 0.7 and 0.8, respectively. Based on these values, we can estimate the number of CO₂ molecules produced when given a certain number of O₂ molecules.
Step-by-step explanation:
The respiratory quotient (RQ) measures the ratio of the volume of carbon dioxide (CO₂) produced to the volume of oxygen (O₂) consumed. The RQ is influenced by the type of fuel being metabolized. For fat and protein, the average RQ is about 0.7 and 0.8, respectively.
In the given question, we are asked to determine the number of CO₂ molecules produced for every 10 molecules of O₂ consumed. Since the RQ is not provided, we cannot directly calculate the exact number of CO₂ molecules. However, based on the average RQ values mentioned earlier, we can estimate an approximate value.
If we assume an RQ of 0.8, it means that for every 1 molecule of O₂ consumed, approximately 0.8 molecules of CO₂ are produced. In this case, for every 10 molecules of O₂ consumed, we can estimate that approximately 8 molecules of CO₂ would be produced.