RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
BASICS
Chapter 3 Lesson 3
Where it begins

The respiratory process begins in the mouth and
nose.
 The
mouth and nose both use filter systems to clean the
air before entering the lungs.
 Air is also warmed up before entering the lungs.
 Air
is warmed up so your body temperature stays normal.
Cold air = cold body temperature.
What comes next?

The air then moves through the throat into the
windpipe (trachea)
 The
trachea is made up of cartilage rings. These rings
protect your airway!
 15-20 cartilage rings line your windpipe.
Entering the lungs…


The air enters the lungs
through the bronchi.
The bronchi then split
into bronchioles.



Bronchioles then split
further until become
alveoli.
Your lung contains over
150 million alveoli.
Gas exchange (putting
oxygen back into the
blood) happens at the
alveoli.
The Breathing Process

Inhaling and exhaling are made possible by the
diaphragm.
 Diaphragm:
a thin, dome-shaped muscle that divides
the chest from the abdomen.


When you inhale, the diaphragm contracts and
drops down, letting air into the lungs.
When you exhale, the diaphragm relaxes and pops
up, forcing air out of the lungs.
Without the respiratory system…


Our hearts would not beat.
We would not be able to talk!
 The
respiratory system allows us to talk. Air passing by
organs causes vibrations which creates sound. This
sound is our voice.


You could have brain damage. When the brain
does not get oxygen, it shuts down.
Your body wouldn’t function.
Respiratory System Facts



Hairs in the nose help to clean the air we breathe
as well as warming it.
The highest recorded "sneeze speed" is 165 km per
hour or 102 mph.
The surface area of the lungs is roughly the same
size as a tennis court.
More Facts!



We lose half a liter of water a day through
breathing. This is the water vapor we see when we
breathe onto glass.
A person at rest usually breathes between 12 and
15 times a minute.
Yawning brings more oxygen into the lungs.