Respiratory System

1. Laura Jang #11 Jacob Ryder #22 Mrs. Wilken (Period 1) January 3, 2011 Respiratory System

2. Main Functions of Respiratory System The respiratory system lets you breathe and also get rid of wastes. When you inhale, it takes in oxygen and releases carbon dioxide (CO2) when you exhale. The chest changes sizes so air can move in and out easily. When you inhale, the muscles attached to the ribs tighten and pull upward. The diaphragm located at the bottom of the chest contracts and pulls downward. When the chest muscles and diaphragm relax, and the space in the chest decreases.

3. 6 Fascinating Facts From Jacob and Laura • All animals have some sort of respiratory system to live. • Birds in flight need a great deal of oxygen (O2). • Birds take gases in and out through a bird’s lung in one direction only. • Alveoli contains tiny structures bordering a capillary which is a thin tube that contains blood. • Insects take in air through tiny holes called ‘spiracles’ • Each day every human take about 23,000 breaths, which brings almost 10,000 quarts of air into your lungs.

4. Major Organ #1 : LUNGS • Allow you to breathe and bring in the air to be taken into your body • Add fresh oxygen to your blood, which then carries it to your cells. • Stores the body's oxygen supply and they are the pumps that push air around and out of the body. • Pushes the oxygen into the chambers of the heart so the oxygen can travel to the rest of the body.

5. Major Organ #2: Diaphragm • Is located at the very bottom of the chest • Contracts and pulls its self downward • Helps make more space by expanding the chest so the air can move in and out easily • If it relax, the space in the chest decreases so the air can be out of the body

6. Major Organ #3: Trachea • Helps carry the air down to your chest then to the lungs • Divides into 2 main tubes called, ‘bronchi’ (singular; bronchus) • Also leads to the bronchi

7. Major Organ #4: Bronchi • Main tubes in trachea • Divides into smaller tubes and gets to the smallest tubes, which are called, ‘alveoli’ • Leads to the lungs

8. Summary of… How This Body System Functions First, you must inhale oxygen into either your nose or mouth. Then the oxygen moves down to a tube called ‘trachea.’ The trachea has 2 tubes called the bronchi (singular bronchus). Inside the lungs, each bronchus splits into smaller and smaller tubes. The smallest tubes are grapelike sacs are called, ‘alveoli.’ Alveoli are tiny sacs. The lungs are the container which holds onto millions of alveoli. Each of these tiny structures borders a thin tube which contains blood. Oxygen spreads from the alveoli to the blood. At the same time, carbon dioxide distributes themselves from the blood to the alveoli. Carbon dioxide is one of the waste products from all the cells of your body. When you exhale, all these kind of wastes get released out of your body and into the air. Then the plants breathe in the carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen and this system runs again in your body.

9. Ways to Keep Respiratory System Healthy If you want to keep this body system healthy, you must NEVER go near polluted air or water because this pollution will harm the respiratory system. You must exercise daily and you must NEVER smoke in your life or it will harm this body system. You also have to eat healthy foods but not so much.