THE STUDY OF LUNG VELOCITY UNDER DIFFERENT CONDITIONS

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Cecil Weaver
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1 THE STUDY OF LUNG VELOCITY UNDER DIFFERENT CONDITIONS Natasha Chandra Cary Academy ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to determine which activity made each student have the least lung velocity (L/sec). The lungs breathe in and out, meaning they expand and contract. The muscles also get tired after running so the heart pumps blood to the muscles. Different activities were tested on different students (gender) and L/sec was recorded. It was determined that the girls had the least L/sec when they held their breath (0.58 L/sec). Doing the hardest activity clearly made the body tired and wants to have the least L/sec. INTRODUCTION For the L experiment, there was a choice to see the effect of girls after running, different genders after running, girls blowing balloons, girls holding their breath, and different genders holding their breathe. Some background research was done and it answered some questions. Has there been an experiment that has been performed, what is carbon dioxide and oxygen, how do the lungs work, and why do people run out of breath so quickly after they run. The first question was researched, and a lot of information was found. A previous experiment has been performed. The experiment was to test how asthma affects the total lung capacity and maximum L of a human. They made different people breathe into the lung probe after different conditions. After they tested a person without asthma, they tested a person with asthma. They got many different results. There was also a lot of information about the second question what is carbon dioxide and what is oxygen.

2 Carbon dioxide is a colorless gas, with a sharp odor and to some extent, has a bitter taste. It is 1.5 times as dense as air. There are many molecules in carbon dioxide. Each molecule of carbon dioxide has one atom of carbon and two atoms of oxygen. The chemical formula for carbon dioxide is CO 2. Carbon dioxide makes up about 0.03% of the air. Plants and animals need carbon dioxide for them to grow. Green plants make their nutrients with it. The plants combine the carbon dioxide with water to make sugar, which is the process of photosynthesis. Carbon dioxide is created when any form of carbon or almost any carbon compound is burned in an excess of oxygen. Carbon forms two well-known oxides, carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ). Carbon monoxide burns readily in oxygen to produce carbon dioxide. Calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ) produces carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and calcium oxide (CaO). Carbon dioxide is also used as a fire extinguisher because most substances do not burn carbon dioxide and it is readily available. Air containing as little as 2.5 percent CO 2 extinguishes a flame. Carbon Dioxide also goes straight from a solid to a gas. CO 2 is released naturally by volcanoes and geysers. 1% by volume of Carbon Dioxide in the air causes drowsiness. Carbon dioxide has a high freezing point, so it can be stored solid as dry ice. The oceans suck up Carbon Dioxide, but in the atmosphere CO 2 is a greenhouse gas, causing Earth to get hot under the collar. Oxygen is a nonmetal component of air people breathe to survive. It is the third-most-abundant Element on Earth. Its covalent bond splits to form oxides with other substances. Oxygen is always out to get a reaction. There is hardly an Element on the Periodic Table that O 2 won t react with. Oxygen is the most abundant Element on Earth, included in most compounds that are in the air, sea, and land. But it s the colorless, odorless gas that is well known because without Oxygen, people would die. Oxygen can dissolve really easily. It slips out of the air in our lungs into our bloodstreams and then get transported to every cell in our body, where Oxygen powers the burning of carbohydrates (sugars and starches) and fats for energy. It also dissolves in water, which is how fish and other animals in the water survive. Cold water can hold more oxygen that warm water, which is why the planet s polar waters have more abundant sea life. It is made industrially by the fractional distillation of liquefied air. There was a lot of information about the third question as well how do the lungs work.

3 Breathing means taking air into the lungs and forcing it back out, it is normally done automatically and involuntarily. The lungs are in the chest cavity, enclosed by ribs and walled off from the abdomen by the diaphragm, a dome-shaped, muscular partition. Since lungs cannot move by themselves, breathing depends on movements of the diaphragm and the muscles of the chest wall between the ribs. When these muscles contract, they enlarge the chest cavity, causing the air pressure to decrease. This makes the lungs expand and pull in air; when the muscles relax, the chest contracts and the air rushes out. People breathe in and out anywhere from 15 to 25 times per min without even thinking about it. When people exercise, their breathing rate goes upagain, without them even thinking about it. People breathe so regularly that it is easy to take the lungs for granted. People can't even stop themselves from breathing if they try! The lungs are complex organs, but what they do is take a gas that the body needs to get rid of (carbon dioxide) and exchange it for a gas that the body can use (oxygen). The lungs are located within the chest cavity inside the rib cage. They are made of spongy, elastic tissue that stretches and constricts as people breathe. The airways that bring air into the lungs (the trachea and bronchi) are made of smooth muscle and cartilage, allowing the airways to constrict and expand. The lungs and airways bring in fresh, oxygen-enriched air and get rid of waste carbon dioxide made by the cells. They also help in regulating the concentration of hydrogen ion (ph) in people s blood. When people inhale, the diaphragm and intercostal muscles (those are the muscles between the ribs) contract and expand the chest cavity. This expansion lowers the pressure in the chest cavity below the outside air pressure. Air then flows in through the airways (from high pressure to low pressure) and inflates the lungs. When people exhale, the diaphragm and intercostal muscles relax and the chest cavity gets smaller. The decrease in volume of the cavity increases the pressure in the chest cavity above the outside air pressure. Air from the lungs (high pressure) then flows out of the airways to the outside air (low pressure). The cycle then repeats with each breath. The last question got a lot of information too why does the body run out of breath so quickly after it runs.

4 During exercise, two of the important organs of the body come into action: the heart and the lungs. The lungs bring oxygen into the body, to provide energy, and remove carbon dioxide, the waste product created when the body produces energy. The heart pumps the oxygen to the muscles that are doing the exercise. When people exercise and the muscles work harder, the body uses more oxygen and produces more carbon dioxide. To cope with this extra demand, breathing has to increase from about 15 times a min (12 L of air) when people are resting, up to about times a min (100 L of air) during exercise. People s circulation also speeds up to take the oxygen to the muscles so that they can keep moving. When the lungs are healthy, they keep a large breathing reserve. People may feel out of breath after exercise, but they will not be short of breath. When people have reduced lung function, they may use a large part of the breathing reserve. This may make people feel out of breath, which can be an unpleasant feeling, but it is not generally dangerous. The first thing noticed when working out is that people get out of breath and their pulse is high. This is always a bit disconcerting, but it's perfectly normal. When they first start working out, the body responds by raising the heart rate and causing them to breathe heavy. While those first few weeks are tough, exercise gets a lot easier as they go along, and it's because the body starts adapting to the workout. Of course, everything in the body is connected, so while the body might only feel a difference in the breathing or heart rate at first. The way people get the oxygen to the muscle fibers is by breathing oxygen into the lungs and then the heart pumps the oxygenated blood into the muscle. So, today people jump on the treadmill for the first time and they run three miles. The heart rate is pretty high, the breathing is pretty heavy, and they feel pretty bad. But if people do that every day for three or four weeks they ll notice that at the same speed the breathing won't be that hard. The reason for this is because the muscle has changed and it's using oxygen a lot better which lowers the heart rate. Those muscle changes are important, and it's not exactly as simple as people might think. Depending on the type of exercise they re doing their muscles can change in different ways. For example, in the legs there are two different kinds of muscle: people have fast twitch muscles and slow twitch muscles.

5 The slow twitch muscle has muscle fibers that are better suited for long-duration endurance exercise. The fast twitch fibers are better for short, high-intensity bursts. For example, a distance runner would have a lot of slow twitch muscle fibers. Whereas a sprinter would have more fast twitch muscle fibers. Let's say people all start at the same baseline where people have half slow twitch muscle fibers and half fast twitch muscle fibers. When people start an exercise program that's about endurance, like jogging, the muscle changes so it has more slow twitch muscles and less fast twitch muscles. This means the muscle can generate force for a longer period of time without fatiguing. MATERIALS AND METHODS In this experiment, a lung velocity probe, index cards, volunteers, a timer, and balloons were used. 5 girls breathed into the lung velocity probe. Then they ran in place for 1 min. After that they breathed into the lung velocity probe again. Results were recorded. 6 test subjects (3 girls and 3 boys) breathed into the lung velocity probe. They all ran in place for 1 min. Then each gender breathed into lung velocity probe after their run. 5 girls breathed into the lung velocity probe. They breathed into a balloon for 1 min. Then they breathed into lung velocity probe after blowing up the balloon. 5 girls breathed into the lung velocity probe. They held their breath for as long as possible. Then they breathed into the lung velocity probe after holding their breath. 6 test subjects (3 boys and 3 girls) breathed into the lung velocity probe. They held their breath for as long as possible. Then they breathed into the lung velocity probe after holding their breath. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

6 Lung Velocity (L) At Rest Girls Activity After Run Figure 1. Girls At Rest and After Running. In the original experiment, or the first experiment, after running was found to have the least L (0.58) while at rest had the most L (1.02). In general, all of the subjects had the least L after running. After running, the oxygen in the body decreases because the lungs are breathing out, releasing that oxygen and giving out carbon dioxide. As a result, humans tend to become more out of breath after running. In addition, the heart pumps blood to the muscles that are doing the exercise. These signals are strong enough that the human body can collect more oxygen. Not surprisingly therefore, after running had the least lung velocity. On the other hand, at rest had the most lung velocity because the test subject was at rest and their muscles weren t moving. Without the muscle signal benefit, the human body feels tired after a long run.

7 Lung Velocity (L) At Rest Different Activity After Run Girls Boys Figure 2 Girls and Boys at Rest and After Running In follow-up experiment one, after running for the girls was found to have the least L (2.00) while the boys had the least L at rest (4.25). In general, the gender has an effect on lung velocity and different activities. Breathing involves taking air in and out of the lungs. As a result, boys and girls do this differently. In addition, the muscles are tired after running, so the heart pumps blood to the muscles that are exercising. These signals are strong enough that the human body can collect more oxygen. It was surprising seeing that gender has an effect on the person, meaning their lungs. On the other hand, girls were found to have the most L at rest (2.41) while the boys had the most L after running (4.49). Each gender has a different lung velocity and are different.

8 Lung Velocity (L) At Rest Different Activity After Blowing Balloon Figure 3 Girls before Blowing a Balloon and After Blowing a Balloon In follow-up experiment two, after blowing a balloon was found to have the least L (2.15) while at rest had the most L (3.59). In general, all girls had the least lung velocity after blowing a balloon. When these muscles contract, they enlarge the chest cavity, causing the air pressure to decrease; this makes the lungs expand and pull in air; when the muscles relax, the chest contracts and the air rushes out. As a result, humans tend to loose breathe quickly. In addition, the heart pumps blood to the muscles that are doing the exercise. These signals are strong enough that the human body can collect more oxygen. Not surprisingly therefore, after blowing a balloon made the lungs tired so it had the least lung velocity. On the other hand, at rest had the most L (3.59), because the lungs don t have to pump any blood to the muscles. When the heart doesn t have to pump blood to the muscles that are exercising, it therefore has more lung velocity.

9 Lung Velocity (L) At Rest Different Activity After Holding Breathe Figure 4 Girls at Rest and After Holding Breath. In follow-up experiment three, after holding breathe was found to have the least L (2.55) while at rest had the most L (4.76). In general, all girls had the least lung velocity after holding their breath. The lungs expand and contract, so when the girls held their breath, the lungs don t contract air. As a result, humans tend to lose their breath quickly and lose oxygen. In addition, it is hard for the lungs to not contract. This makes the after affect worse because the lungs want to breathe in more air after not being able to for a long time. Not surprisingly therefore, after holding breathe had the least lung velocity. On the other hand, at rest had the most lung velocity because the lungs got to expand and contract. Without the lungs being able to contract, the human body does not have a lot of lung velocity like when it does when it is at rest.

10 Lung Velocity (L) Girls Boys 1 0 At Rest Different Activity After Holding Breathe Figure 5 Different Genders at Rest and After Holding Breathe In follow-up experiment four, after holding breathe was found to have the least L for the girls (2.56) and the boys (2.49). In general, after holding breathe was found to have the least lung velocity. The lungs expand and contract, so when the girls held their breath, the lungs don t contract air. As a result, humans tend to lose their breath quickly and lose oxygen. In addition, it is hard for the lungs to not contract. This makes the after affect worse because the lungs want to breathe in more air after not being able to for a long time. Not surprisingly therefore, after holding breathe had the least lung velocity for both genders. On the other hand, at rest had the most L for girls (5.69) and boys (4.90) because the lungs got to expand and contract. Without the lungs being able to contract, the human body does not have a lot of lung velocity like when it does when it is at rest. CONCLUSION What was expected was right and wrong. It was expected that after each experiment the test subject(s) would have lower lung velocity. After on experiment though, the activity had more lung velocity for the boys. It was expected that either gender would have lower lung velocity after the activity was performed. It was determined that girls, after holding their breath had the least lung velocity (0.58). This data was expected due to the lungs contracting and expanding. These findings could be especially valuable to

11 doctors because they could determine why their patient has lost their breath when they came in the office. In the future, it would be interesting to determine if the data would be similar amongst different ages and different bodies meaning parents, teachers, etc. CITATIONS "Beginning to Exercise and out of Breath!" Go Ask Alice! N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Feb "Carbon Dioxide." Britannica School. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., Web. 15 Jan Green, Dan, and Simon Basher. Chemistry: Getting a Big Reaction. New York: Kingfisher, Print. Human Body. Alexandria, VA: Time-Life, Print. Jango-Cohen, Judith. The Respiratory System. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications, Print. "Lung." Britannica School. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., Web. 15 Jan Stille, Darlene R. The Respiratory System. New York: Children's, Print. "Techniques for Proper Breathing While Running." / Fitness / Exercises. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Feb

The Breathing System

The Breathing System Learning Intentions 1. Students should Know how Breathing happens 2. Name and know the functions of the Breathing System 3. Know how the organs work and how they work with other systems