NameBilal AhmadClass 2ndDate10/1/20

Trace Elements
Just four elements: oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen make up 96 percent of living things.
The table shows the percentages of some other elements.

Percentage of
Element Uses
Body Weight
Phosphorus 1.0 Formation of bone
and teeth
Potassium 0.25 Regulation of
nerve function
Sulfur 0.25 Present in two
amino acids
Sodium 0.15 Regulation of
nerve function,
blood levels

Chlorine 0.15 Fluid balance

Magnesium 0.05 Bone and muscle

function
Iron 0.006 Carrying oxygen in
the blood
Other trace elements include fluorine, copper, zinc, and iodine.

1. Construct an Explanation Is the importance of an element in the body related to its

percentage of body weight? Cite the evidence in the table to support your explanation.
Yes, the importance of an element in the body is directly related to its percentage of body
weight. Phosphorus is used for the formation of bones and teeth and makes up around 1%
of body weight, which is a lot when compared to the 0.006% of iron. Bones and teeth will be
significantly heavier than some blood cells so that’s why phosphorus is more important than
iron.

2. Evaluate Claims A student claims that the four types of macromolecules make up all of the
important compounds of the human body. Provide evidence and reasoning to support or
refute this claim.
The student is mostly right because oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, and carbon make up 96%
of all living things but there are still other molecules that are important. These four molecules
happen to make up most of the macromolecules along with a few extras. Minerals such as
iron, magnesium, and zinc aren’t found in macromolecules, but are still very important to the
body.

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