October
Function:
The function of the lungs is to move oxygen (O2) into the bloodstream and remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the bloodstream.
Mechanics:
Oxygen enters the lungs through inspiration, or the breathing in of air. Carbon dioxide is removed from the lungs through expiration, or the breathing out of air.
The lungs move about 6 liters of air per minute at rest. During exercise, the lungs can move 20- to 30-times the amount of air that they normally move at rest. During exercise you breathe both faster faster and deeper thus move more air per minute.
Gas Exchange:
Oxygen and carbon dioxide transfer across lung tissue through diffusion. The exchange of air is more efficient in a trained individual because fo his or her ability to better extract and use oxygen as compared to an untrained individual. The cells of a trained person use oxygen better than the cells of an untrained person; taking oxygen from the blood and processing it more effectively.
Volumes:
The amount of air that is moved in a normal resting breath is referred to as one's tidal volume. During exericse, the tidal volume increases as one breathes more deeply and approaches one's vital capacity, or the maximal amount of air the lungs can move in one breath.
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