Respiratory System

The respiratory system

Learn about your own body

bronchi and bronchioles

Respiratory system

alveoli

Lungs

INDEX

diaphragm

inhaling and exhaling

VíDEOs

trachea

respiratory system

The Respiratory System is a set of organs that allows a person to breathe and exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide throughout the body.

We inhale the oxygen from the air and the Circulatory System will transport it through the blood to every cell of the body. Then, we will exhale the carbon dioxide produced in our bodies.

diaphragm

Beneath the lungs we find the diaphragm, a dome-shaped muscle that contracts and relaxes to help you inhale and exhale.

lungs

your lungs are in your chest, and they are so large that they take up most of the space in there. you have two lungs but they don't have the same size! the lung on the left side is smaller to leave room to your heart.

your lungs are protected by the rib cage, which is made up of 12 sets of ribs. These ribs are connected to your spine in your back and go around your lungs to keep them safe

trachea

the trachea is a flexible tube-like structure. its upper end is connected to the larynx and its lower end splits to become the right and left bronchi. it has tiny hairs called cilia that move gently to keep mucus and dirt out of the lungs.

bronchi and bronchioles

the trachea divides into the main right and left bronchi (singular, bronchus). in the lungs, the bronchi branch repeatedly (similar to the branches of a tree). these branches become smaller and smaller and eventually form bronchioles

alveoli

AT THE END OF EACH BRONCHIOLE, THERE IS A SPECIAL AREA WITH TINY AIR SACS CALLED ALVEOLI. EACH ALVEOLUS IS COVERED WITH A LARGE NETWORK OF CAPILLARIES. OXYGEN ENTERS THE CAPILLARIES, AND IT TRAVELS THROUGH THE PULMONARY VEIN TO THE HEART. (pulmonary circulation) then, oxygen will travel through the systemic circulation.

inhaling

1) Your diaphragm contracts and flattens out. your rib muscles also lift the ribs up and outward the lungs. 2) The oxygen goes through the mouth and nose into your trachea. 3) then, the oxygen goes through a series of branches in your lungs, through the bronchi and bronchioles. 4) the oxygen finally ends up in the 600 million alveoli. The lungs get bigger when they fill in with air.

exhaling

1) Your diaphragm relaxes and moves up, pushing air out of the lungs. 2) The carbon dioxide, coming from the heart, travels in the blood to the capillaries of the alveoli. gases are exchanged. 3) finally, you breathe the carbon dioxide out in reverse order of how the oxygen came in.

ViDEO

Learn more about the respiratory system

ViDEO

Learn more about the Respiratory System

the end