Final answer:
Glycolysis is a catabolic process occurring in the cytoplasm that breaks down glucose into pyruvate through ten enzymatic steps. It is an anaerobic pathway present in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.
Step-by-step explanation:
Glycolysis is the initial phase of catabolism where glucose is converted into pyruvate. This process takes place in the cytoplasm of both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Glycolysis is an anaerobic pathway, meaning it does not require oxygen to proceed. It involves a sequence of ten enzymatically regulated steps, divided into two main phases: the preparatory phase where energy in the form of ATP is invested to break down the six-carbon glucose molecule, and the energy-yielding phase where ATP and NADH are produced and the glucose is fully split into two three-carbon pyruvate molecules.