The Physics of Lungs and

Breathing
Lecture 4
Shaimaa Hameed
The physics Of Breathing

Gas Transport in the Respiratory System

The Main purpose of the respiratory system is to transport oxygen

O2 from the outer environment into the blood stream and supply
the body with the necessary fuel for the oxidization processes.
Second purpose is to remove the rest product of the oxidization
process CO2 from the blood and exhale it to the outer environment.
Respiratory gases move between the environment and the respiring
tissues by two principal mechanisms, convection and diffusion.
Convection, or mass flow, is responsible for movement of air from the
environment into the lungs and for movement of blood between the lungs
and the tissues. Respiratory gases also move by diffusion across tissue
barriers such as membranes. Diffusion is the primary mode of transport
of gases between air and blood in the lungs and between blood and
respiring tissues in the body. The process of diffusion is driven by the
difference in partial pressures of a gas between two locales.
The transport of the CO2 takes place by identical processes in reverse direction. Both processes take place
at the same time, therefore pressure differences have to be adopted to optimize the transport mechanism.
The inhaled air is a gas mixture of 80 % N2 and 20 % O2. The exhaled air is = 80 % N2, 16 % O2, and 4 %
CO2.4 % oxygen is absorbed and exchanged with carbon dioxide.

Function of Lungs & Breathing:

1- Exchange of O2 & Co2 between the blood and air.

2- Keeping PH (acidity) of the blood constant. “When we do work PH increase “CO2 + H2O H2CO3 ”

3- Heat exchange between the body and atmosphere.

4- Fluid balance of the body by warming and moistening the air we breath.

5- Voice production.

6- Removing the dust particles stuck to the moist lining of various air ways.
Breathing Rate:

1- We breathe ≈ 6 liters of air per min.

2- Men breath ≈ 12 times / min at rest.

3- Women breath ≈ 20 times / min at rest.

4- Infants breath ≈ 60 times / min at rest.

❖The air we inspired is ≈ 80 % N2, 20 % O2

❖Expired air is ≈ 80 % N2, 16 % O2 & 4 % Co2

 Physics of the
Cardiovascular System
Introduction
•The cardiovascular system consists of the
heart, blood vessels that is responsible for
the movement of the approximately 5 Liters
of blood in the body.
•The systems primary role is for the
transportation of oxygen, nutrients,
hormones, and cellular waste throughout the
body
 Physiology of Blood
Blood is a complex mixture involving:

1. Plasma (liquid component) – roughly 55-60% of the blood’s volume.

2. Red blood cells – roughly 40% of the blood’s volume

3. White blood cells – important for the immune system

4. Platelets – important for blood clotting

o Red blood cells is an important component in blood because it carries oxygen from the lungs and
delivers it to all body tissues

o Oxygen is vital to produce energy and produces carbon dioxide as waste product that is diffused out of
the lungs
Physiology of Heart
Physiology of Blood Vessels
The blood vessels are the pipes of the body
•They consist of arteries, arterioles, venules, veins, and capillaries
•Blood is delivered throughout the body using these vessels
•The diameter of the blood vessels changes from the moment it leaves
the heart (arteries) to when it returns to the heart (veins)
•Blood vessels are muscular vessels that can dilate and constrict blood to
increase or decrease blood flow
 Why is this Important?
• Many People with heart attack Leading to death, so understanding the connection between
flow characteristics and the development of cardiovascular disease (atherosclerosis,
thrombosis) and improving and developing methods to reduce deaths.
How is this Related to Physics?
▪ The cardiovascular system can be seen as the pressure system the body
▪ There are multiple ways physics can play a role in the cardiovascular system:
1. Influence of gravity
2. Fluid flow down pressure gradient
3. Velocity of flow
4. Work of the heart (can be viewed as a simple pump)
5. Turbulent Flow
6. Viscosity
Conclusions

1. Cardiovascular system components are the blood, heart, and blood

vessels
2. The heart’s main function is to pump blood around the body
3. The blood vessels diameter changes after it is pumped out of the
heart arteries
4. Physics is highly connected with the physiology of the heart and could
assist in solving how to reduce the leading cause of death in the world