The alveolus
Breathing
Spirometer
Fish gills
Practice
Healthy lung at sea level
Emphysema — surface area lost
Fibrosis — wall thickened
High altitude — gradient reduced
wall thickness (diffusion distance)
0.7 µm
total alveolar surface area
70 m²
ventilation — how fresh the air is
100 %
blood flow past the alveolus
100 %
breathing rate
12 min⁻¹
forced expiration — internal intercostals and abdominal muscles join in
Measure tidal volume
Measure vital capacity
Measure breathing rate
Measure oxygen consumption
breathing rate of the subject
12 min⁻¹
oxygen consumption of the subject
0.25 dm³ min⁻¹
soda lime in the circuit — absorbs the CO
2
breathed out
position along the lamella
50 %
parallel flow — blood and water in the same direction
overlay the other arrangement on the graph
the alveolus — surface, distance, gradient
drag the two markers
1
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Answer
Check
Hint
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How to think about it
Common mistakes