We made this
model
using a soda bottle, saran wrap, a straw, a balloon and play dough.
By simply pressing on the saran wrap (diaphragm) at the bottom of
the model, the lung (balloon) deflates and re-inflates when the
diaphragm moves up and down. Watch our video below.
Click
here to
see a simple animation of how breathing works.
Amazing Lung Facts
At rest, a
person breathes about 14 to 16 times per minute. After
exercise it could increase to over 60 times per minute.
New babies at
rest breathe between 40 and 50 times per minute. By age five
it decreases to around 25 times per minute.
The total
surface area of the alveoli (tiny air sacs in the lungs) is
the size of a tennis court.
The lungs are
the only organ in the body that can float on water.
The lungs
produce a detergent-like substance which reduces the surface
tension of the fluid lining, allowing air in.
Cool
model of
a heart functioning as a pump - I think we'll try this out
next.
