Measuring Lung Capacity

The amount of air that you move in and out of your lungs while
breathing normally is called TIDAL VOLUME. This amount of air
provides enough oxygen for a person who is resting. It is possible
to inhale and exhale more forcefully - the maximum amount of air
moved in and out of the lungs is called the VITAL CAPACITY. In
this activity, you will be measuring the vital capacity and the tidal
volume of your own lungs, this actual number can then be
compared with a number derived from an equation that measures
vital capacity. In effect, you are measuring an actual number,
based on laboratory measurements, to a theoretical number,
based on an equation. If you have any breathing difficulties
(asthma or other condition), you should not participate in this
activity, instead only take the data on your lab partner.

Materials

Balloons, metric ruler, meter stick, bathroom scale (optional)

1. Measuring Tidal Volume -- Stretch a round balloon
several times to stretch it out. Inhale normally and
then exhale normally into the balloon. Do not force
your breathing. Pinch the end of the balloon and
measure its diameter. Repeat this so that you have 3
total measurements and can take the average and
record in the data table.

2. Measuring Vital Capacity - Repeat the procedure,

only this time inhale as much air as you can and exhale
forcefully. Record three measurements in the data
table.

3. Convert the diameters to a volume using the graph

and record this in your table.

4. Estimated Vital Capacity

Research has shown that the
capacity of a person's lungs
is proportional to the
surface area of his or her
body. To find the surface area, you will need to know your height and weight. There are a couple of
different ways to calculate your body surface area mathematically. Either use the equation below
or go to a website that has an automatic calculator. (A google search on "body surface area
calculator will yield many pages that have these calculators)

Once you have calculated your surface area, a second equation will calculate your estimated vital
capacity.

Males: SA x 2500
Females SA x 2000

DATA TABLE
Tidal Volume Vital Capacity Estimated Vital Capacity
Balloon Volume (from Balloon Volume (from
Height (cm)
Diameter graph) Diameter graph)
Trial Mass (kg)

1 Surface Area
2 Vital Capacity
3
Average

ANALYSIS
1. Why is it important to measure tidal volume and vital capacity three times and then get an
average?

2. Compare your data to other members of the class. How can you account for differences?
3. How does your measured vital capacity compare to the vital capacity you estimated using the
formula? Which do you think is more accurate and why?

4. How might an athlete's vital capacity compare to a non-athlete? Explain your reasoning.

APPLICATION
1. Examine the data table of a person who entered into a training program. This person's vital
capacity was measured over a 60 day period. Use the data to construct a graph

DATA GRAPH

Day of Training Vital Capacity

0 4800
10 4840
20 4890
30 4930
40 4980
50 5180
60 5260

2. What happened to the person's vital capacity over the course of the training period?

3. What probably caused the change?

4. How might vital capacity be important to a musician?

Measuring Lung Capacity
By John Cowens

Take a deep breath – your students are going to love these science activities about the lungs

The lungs are complex organs in the respiratory system. Their role is to take in oxygen and get rid of carbon dioxide.
Air enters through the nose or mouth, past the epiglottis and into the trachea. As the gas moves down the trachea, it
passes the vocal cords located in the larynx until it meets the bronchi. At this point, air passes into each lung and
travels through a network of narrower bronchioles until it reaches the alveoli. Each alveoli has a mesh-like covering of
small blood vessels called capillaries.

Just a second
Since the oxygen concentration is high at each alveoli, it diffuses across the alveolar membrane and into the
pulmonary capillary. It's at this point the hemoglobin in red blood cells has carbon dioxide bonded to it with oxygen.
However, as oxygen binds to hemoglobin, carbon dioxide is released. Since the level of carbon dioxide is high in the
pulmonary capillary, it leaves the blood and passes the alveolar membrane into the air sac. The exchange of gases
that occurs in a fraction of a second is amazing!

As the lungs exhale, carbon dioxide exits the alveoli and leaves oxygen-enriched blood that travels to the heart. It's
imperative to keep oxygen concentration high and carbon dioxide low to maintain proper gas exchange in the lungs.

Inhale, exhale
The following activities demonstrate the concept of lung capacity. The relationship between height and vital capacity
will also be investigated. These activities provide experience with fundamental principles of good scientific
observation such as hypothesizing, experimenting, measuring, collecting, recording data and stating a conclusion.

Materials:

• graph paper
• pen
• balloons
• measuring tape
 • red and blue markers

Procedures:

1. Make a graph that you'll use to mark your volunteers' results. On the left-hand side of a piece of paper, write
"circumference in inches," and starting with 1" at the bottom, write numbers by 1/2" increments all the way
until you reach 12".

You can download a copy of this graph here. PDF 12KB

2. Along the bottom of your graph, write the names of your students, their height, weight and fitness level.
3. Find out your first student's fitness level by asking how many minutes he or she exercises each day. Rate
their fitness level on a scale of 0 to 10, based on the following chart:
If a person exercises: He/she rates:
1 to 2 hours, 5-7 days/week 10
1 hour, 4-5 days/week 8
30 min., 4-5 days/week 6
30 min., 2-3 days/week 4
30 min., 1 day/week 2
Never 0

4. Write each student's fitness rating on your graph next to his or her name, along with his or her weight and
height.

5. Determine the reserve air capacity of the student by asking him or her to breathe out normally. Then, ask
him or her to blow what air is left in his or her lungs into a round balloon. Students will quickly discover that
new balloons can be more difficult to inflate than a "used" balloon. Allow students to inflate their new balloon
4-5 times before measuring and recording the circumference.
6. Measure the largest circumference of the balloon with a measuring tape. Using a blue marker, place a dot
on your graph where the name and the number on the left meet.
7. Now find the student's vital capacity by asking him or her to take the deepest breath he or she can, then
blow every bit of air into the balloon. Again, measure the balloon's largest circumference and record the
number on your graph using a red marker. Compare your results.

Vital lung capacity

Students can work in groups to help measure and record their vital lung capacity (the amount of air that can be
exhaled). Students should know that this amount excludes the three pints of air that remains in the lungs. Ask them to
also measure their height and then form their own hypothesis about a possible correlation between height and vital
capacity.

Materials:

• Measuring Vital Capacity graph download here. PDF 8KB

 • Lung Volume Bags and mouthpieces (check out www.shnta.com.)

Procedures:

1. Divide the students into small groups. Each student should have his or her own lung volume bag,
mouthpiece and graph.
2. Have each group of students measure one another's height and record it on their graph.
3. Ask each group of students to measure their vital capacity twice, using the lung volume bag and record the
information on their graph.
4. Students compare their vital capacity to how much air they actually exhale during normal breathing.
5. Inform students that we breathe about a half liter (1 pint) with every breath and we breathe from 10-14 times
per minute.

What's something that you do all day, every day, no matter where you are or who you're with?

(a) think about what's for lunch tomorrow

(b) put your finger in your nose
(c) hum your favorite song
(d) breathe
It's possible that some kids could say (a) or (c) or that others might even say — yikes! — (b). But
every single person in the world has to say (d). Breathing air is necessary for keeping humans (and
many animals) alive. And the two parts that are large and in charge when it comes to breathing? If
you guessed your lungs, you're right!

Your lungs make up one of the largest organs in your body, and they work with your respiratory
system to allow you to take in fresh air, get rid of stale air, and even talk. Let's take a tour of the
lungs!

Locate Those 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 aren't the same size the way your eyes or nostrils are. Instead, the lung on
the left side of your body is a bit smaller than the lung on the right. This extra space on the left leaves
room for your heart.

Your lungs are protected by your 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. Beneath the lungs
is the diaphragm (say: dy-uh-fram), a dome-shaped muscle that works with your lungs to allow you
to inhale (breathe in) and exhale (breathe out) air.

You can't see your lungs, but it's easy to feel them in action: Put your hands on your chest and
breathe in very deeply. You will feel your chest getting slightly bigger. Now breathe out the air, and
feel your chest return to its regular size. You've just felt the power of your lungs!

What's in this article? (click to view)

Listen
A Look Inside the Lungs

From the outside, lungs are pink and a bit squishy, like a sponge. But the inside contains the real
lowdown on the lungs! At the bottom of the trachea (say:tray-kee-uh), or windpipe, there are two
large tubes. These tubes are called the main stem bronchi(say: brong-kye), and one heads left into
the left lung, while the other heads right into the right lung.
Each main stem bronchus (say: brong-kuss) — the name for just one of the bronchi — then branches
off into tubes, or bronchi, that get smaller and even smaller still, like branches on a big tree. The
tiniest tubes are called bronchioles (say: brong-kee-oles), and there are about 30,000 of them in
each lung. Each bronchiole is about the same thickness as a hair.
At the end of each bronchiole is a special area that leads into clumps of teeny tiny air sacs
called alveoli (say: al-vee-oh-lie). There are about 600 million alveoli in your lungs and if you
stretched them out, they would cover an entire tennis court. Now that's a load of alveoli!
Each alveolus (say: al-vee-oh-luss) — what we call just one of the alveoli — has a mesh-like
covering of very small blood vessels called capillaries (say: cap-ill-er-ees). These capillaries are so
tiny that the cells in your blood need to line up single file just to march through them.
All About Inhaling

When you're walking your dog, cleaning your room, or spiking a volleyball, you probably don't think
about inhaling (breathing in) — you've got other things on your mind! But every time you inhale air,
dozens of body parts work together to help get that air in there without you ever thinking about it.

As you breathe in, your diaphragm contracts and flattens out. This allows it to move down, so your
lungs have more room to grow larger as they fill up with air. "Move over, diaphragm, I'm filling up!" is
what your lungs would say. And the diaphragm isn't the only part that gives your lungs the room they
need. Your rib muscles also lift the ribs up and outward to give the lungs more space.

At the same time, you inhale air through your mouth and nose, and the air heads down your trachea,
or windpipe. On the way down the windpipe, tiny hairs called cilia (say: sill-ee-uh) move gently to
keep mucus and dirt out of the lungs. The air then goes through the series of branches in your lungs,
through the bronchi and the bronchioles.

Thank You, Alveoli!

The air finally ends up in the 600 million alveoli. As these millions of alveoli fill up with air, the lungs
get bigger. Remember that experiment where you felt your lungs get larger? Well, you were really
feeling the power of those awesome alveoli!

It's the alveoli that allow oxygen from the air to pass into your blood. All the cells in the body need
oxygen every minute of the day. Oxygen passes through the walls of each alveolus into the tiny
capillaries that surround it. The oxygen enters the blood in the tiny capillaries, hitching a ride on red
blood cells and traveling through layers of blood vessels to the heart. The heart then sends the
oxygenated (filled with oxygen) blood out to all the cells in the body.

Waiting to Exhale

When it's time to exhale (breathe out), everything happens in reverse: Now it's the diaphragm's turn
to say, "Move it!" Your diaphragm relaxes and moves up, pushing air out of the lungs. Your rib
muscles become relaxed, and your ribs move in again, creating a smaller space in your chest.

By now your cells have used the oxygen they need, and your blood is carrying carbon dioxide and
other wastes that must leave your body. The blood comes back through the capillaries and the wastes
enter the alveoli. Then you breathe them out in the reverse order of how they came in — the air goes
through the bronchioles, out the bronchi, out the trachea, and finally out through your mouth and
nose.

The air that you breathe out not only contains wastes and carbon dioxide, but it's warm, too! As air
travels through your body, it picks up heat along the way. You can feel this heat by putting your hand
in front of your mouth or nose as you breathe out. What is the temperature of the air that comes out
of your mouth or nose?

With all this movement, you might be wondering why things don't get stuck as the lungs fill and
empty! Luckily, your lungs are covered by two really slick special layers called pleural (say: ploo-
ral) membranes. These membranes are separated by a fluid that allows them to slide around easily
while you inhale and exhale.

Time for Talk

Your lungs are important for breathing . . . and also for talking! Above the trachea (windpipe) is
the larynx (say: lair-inks), which is sometimes called the voice box. Across the voice box are two tiny
ridges called vocal cords, which open and close to make sounds. When you exhale air from the lungs,
it comes through the trachea and larynx and reaches the vocal cords. If the vocal cords are closed and
the air flows between them, the vocal cords vibrate and a sound is made.

The amount of air you blow out from your lungs determines how loud a sound will be and how long
you can make the sound. Try inhaling very deeply and saying the names of all the kids in your class —
how far can you get without taking the next breath? The next time you're outside, try shouting and
see what happens — shouting requires lots of air, so you'll need to breathe in more frequently than
you would if you were only saying the words.

Experiment with different sounds and the air it takes to make them — when you giggle, you let out
your breath in short bits, but when you burp, you let swallowed air in your stomach out in one long
one! When you hiccup, it's because the diaphragm moves in a funny way that causes you to breathe
in air suddenly, and that air hits your vocal cords when you're not ready.

Love Your Lungs

Your lungs are amazing. They allow you to breathe, talk to your friend, shout at a game, sing, laugh,
cry, and more! And speaking of a game, your lungs even work with your brain to help you inhale and
exhale a larger amount of air at a more rapid rate when you're running a mile — all without you even
thinking about it once.

Keeping your lungs looking and feeling healthy is a smart idea, and the best way to keep your lungs
pink and healthy is not to smoke. Smoking isn't good for any part of your body, and your lungs
especially hate it. Cigarette smoke damages the cilia in the trachea so they can no longer move to
keep dirt and other substances out of the lungs. Your alveoli get hurt too, because the chemicals in
cigarette smoke can cause the walls of the delicate alveoli to break down, making it much harder to
breathe.

Finally, cigarette smoke can damage the cells of the lungs so much that the healthy cells go away,
only to be replaced by cancer cells. Lungs are normally tough and strong, but when it comes to
cigarettes, they can be hurt easily — and it's often very difficult or impossible to make them better. If
you need to work with chemicals in an art or shop class, be sure to wear a protective mask to keep
chemical fumes from entering your lungs.

You can also show your love for your lungs by exercising! Exercise is good for every part of your body,
and especially for your lungs and heart. When you take part in vigorous exercise (like biking, running,
or swimming, for example), your lungs require more air to give your cells the extra oxygen they need.
As you breathe more deeply and take in more air, your lungs become stronger and better at supplying
your body with the air it needs to succeed. Keep your lungs healthy and they will thank you for life!

Reviewed by: Steven Dowshen, MD

Date reviewed: November 2009
Originally reviewed by: Laura Inselman, MD

1 •2•3•4•

Time for Talk

Your lungs are important for breathing . . . and also for talking! Above the trachea (windpipe) is
the larynx (say: lair-inks), which is sometimes called the voice box. Across the voice box are two tiny
ridges called vocal cords, which open and close to make sounds. When you exhale air from the lungs,
it comes through the trachea and larynx and reaches the vocal cords. If the vocal cords are closed and
the air flows between them, the vocal cords vibrate and a sound is made.

The amount of air you blow out from your lungs determines how loud a sound will be and how long
you can make the sound. Try inhaling very deeply and saying the names of all the kids in your class —
how far can you get without taking the next breath? The next time you're outside, try shouting and
see what happens — shouting requires lots of air, so you'll need to breathe in more frequently than
you would if you were only saying the words.

Experiment with different sounds and the air it takes to make them — when you giggle, you let out
your breath in short bits, but when you burp, you let swallowed air in your stomach out in one long
one! When you hiccup, it's because the diaphragm moves in a funny way that causes you to breathe
in air suddenly, and that air hits your vocal cords when you're not ready.

Love Your Lungs

Your lungs are amazing. They allow you to breathe, talk to your friend, shout at a game, sing, laugh,
cry, and more! And speaking of a game, your lungs even work with your brain to help you inhale and
exhale a larger amount of air at a more rapid rate when you're running a mile — all without you even
thinking about it once.

Keeping your lungs looking and feeling healthy is a smart idea, and the best way to keep your lungs
pink and healthy is not to smoke. Smoking isn't good for any part of your body, and your lungs
especially hate it. Cigarette smoke damages the cilia in the trachea so they can no longer move to
keep dirt and other substances out of the lungs. Your alveoli get hurt too, because the chemicals in
cigarette smoke can cause the walls of the delicate alveoli to break down, making it much harder to
breathe.

Finally, cigarette smoke can damage the cells of the lungs so much that the healthy cells go away,
only to be replaced by cancer cells. Lungs are normally tough and strong, but when it comes to
cigarettes, they can be hurt easily — and it's often very difficult or impossible to make them better. If
you need to work with chemicals in an art or shop class, be sure to wear a protective mask to keep
chemical fumes from entering your lungs.

You can also show your love for your lungs by exercising! Exercise is good for every part of your body,
and especially for your lungs and heart. When you take part in vigorous exercise (like biking, running,
or swimming, for example), your lungs require more air to give your cells the extra oxygen they need.
As you breathe more deeply and take in more air, your lungs become stronger and better at supplying
your body with the air it needs to succeed. Keep your lungs healthy and they will thank you for life!

Reviewed by: Steven Dowshen, MD

Date reviewed: November 2009
Originally reviewed by: Laura Inselman, MD

1 •2•3•4•
Breathing Is Essential to Life

Dianne Mehlinger Arthur Libby School

5338 South Loomis Blvd
Chicago IL 60609
(773) 535-9350

Objectives:

Students in the primary and intermediate grades will: 1. Recognize that

breathing is a necessary, automatic life process; 2. Observe and record data
on
respiration rate; 3. Demonstrate how air enters and leaves the lungs; 4.
Observe
how respiratory rate changes with different activities; 5. Use counting as a
means of gathering data

ACTIVITY #1: COLLECT ONE OF THE GASES IN YOUR BREATH

MATERIALS: paper towel

hand mirror

PROCEDURE:

Use the paper towel to clean and dry the mirror. Hold the mirror near, but
not
touching, your mouth. Exhale onto the mirror two or three times. Examine
the
surface of the mirror.

QUESTIONS: What happens to the mirror?

Why does the mirror become fogged?

ACTIVITY #2: LISTEN TO PARTNERS BREATHING; COUNT BREATHS PER MINUTE

MATERIALS: stethoscopes
watch or clock with second hand
index cards or sticky note paper with student's names

PROCEDURE:

Use a stethoscope to listen to one another's breathing. Hold breath as long

as
possible; record how long you held your breath. Pair off students: Breather:
All students sit quietly (lie down if possible) with hands placed over their
stomachs or chests. WATCHERS: The watchers must watch their partners and
count
the breaths taken in one minute (count ONE breath for every time the stomach
or
chest rises). Teacher cues the watcher when to begin and when to stop after
60
seconds. After the 60 seconds, watchers tell the breathers how many breaths
were counted. Then all breathers record their at rest information on the
index
card or sticky note paper. Students trade places and repeat the activity.
Next, students do jumping jacks or run in place for 60 seconds before
recording
breathing rates as described above.

QUESTIONS: In which case did you breathe more? Why?

Do you think respiration rate would be faster or slower if you ran
for 10 minutes before counting breaths?
Would there be a difference in your respiration rate if you
checked
it when you were sleeping and then again if you were walking?
Why can't we hold our breath for 5 minutes?

ACTIVITY #3: MEASURING LUNG CAPACITY WITH BALLOONS

MATERIALS: 6" and 9" balloons

cloth tape measure
paper and pen or pencil

PROCEDURE: CAUTION Do not do this activity if you have asthma!

Give identical balloons to pairs of students. Instruct each to blow up a

balloon as much as possible with only one breath. Measure how big around
everyone's balloon is with a tape measure and write down the numbers next to
the
persons names. Let air out of balloons and repeat two more times. Take an
average of three tests.

QUESTIONS: Who was able to blow the most air into their balloon?
What is it about the person that enables him or her to do this?
If you ran in place for 2 - 3 minutes, would you be able to blow
as
much air into the balloon? Try it.

ACTIVITY #4: CONSTRUCT A LUNG

MATERIALS: scissors
1 or 2 liter soda bottle with label removed
7" and 9" balloons
helper

PROCEDURE:

Cut off and discard bottom of soda bottle. Invert the 7" balloon inside the
bottle after stretching the balloon over the mouth of the bottle. Cut top
off a
9" balloon and stretch this top over the bottom of the bottle. Hold the
bottle
with one hand and, with your other hand move the surface of the balloon at
the
bottom of the bottle by pulling and pushing it.

QUESTIONS: What happens to the balloon?

Why does it inflate and deflate?
What large muscle is important in inhaling and exhaling and how
does
the model demonstrate its action?
ACTIVITY 5: MEASURING LUNG CAPACITY WITH WATER
MATERIALS: paper and pen
large pan
empty 1 gallon plastic bottle with a cap
plastic tubing
antiseptic wipes

PROCEDURE:

Make a chart with names of participant. Label name, weight, height and code.

For each person tested, fill in the information on the chart, and give a
different code letter of the alphabet starting with "A". Pour about 3 inches
of
water into a large pan and set it in a sink or on a counter. Fill a gallon
jug
with water and screw on the cap. Place the jug upside down into the pan of
water. Remove the top of the jug so that the water remains inside and slip a
3
foot length of clear plastic tubing into the jug. Ask each participant to
take
a big breath and blow as much air as they can into the length of the tubing.
Mark the water level on the jug both before and after blowing and record on
the
chart. Wipe the tubing clean with the antiseptic wipe before another subject
uses it. Compare the data you gathered from your test.

QUESTIONS: Who was able to blow the most air into the water?
What was it about the person that enabled him or her to do this?
If you ran in place for a few minutes, would you be able to blow
as much air into the water?

ACTIVITY #3: OBSERVING AN ANIMAL LUNG

MATERIALS: an animal lung (sheep or cow)

plastic tubing
scalpel (optional for dissecting lung)

PROCEDURE: Observe trachea, bronchi, bronchioles, and alveoli of animal

lung.
Observe how lung inflates by blowing air down trachea with
plastic
tubing.

QUESTIONS: Is the lung of a sheep or a cow the same as a human lung?

What happens when you blow into the trachea with the plastic tube?

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