🎈 Fun Fact!:  Did you ever blow up a balloon and let it go? The air rushes out and the balloon flies around the room. That's a bit like how your lungs work, with air moving from high to low pressure. Let's explore!

• Components

  • 🍓 Nose & Mouth: The main entry and exit doors for the air you breathe.
  • 🌳 Trachea: Think of it as the tree trunk of your airways.
  • 🌿 Bronchi: Branches splitting from the trachea.
  • 🍃 Bronchioles: Tiny branches that spread deeper into your lungs.

• Special Features

  • Trachea and bronchi have cartilage walls - just like the stiff collar on a high-quality polo shirt to keep them from collapsing.
  • Bronchioles have smooth muscle fibres. These are like zippers that can adjust the width.

• Gas & Volume: Imagine trying to stuff all your toys into a tiny box. It gets really tight and crammed inside! Similarly:
  • When gas spreads in a big space, its pressure drops.
  • When gas is packed in a small space, its pressure increases.
• Gas Movement: Gas is like water flowing downhill. It goes from high-pressure areas to low-pressure areas.

• Inspiration (Breathing In)
  • Muscles contract.
  • Pressure inside your chest (thorax) goes below the normal air pressure.
  • Air rushes in, just like when you suck on a straw!
• Expiration (Breathing Out)
  • Different muscles contract.
  • Pressure inside your chest becomes higher than the normal air pressure.
  • Air is pushed out, aided by stretchy elastic fibres in the lungs (think of these like rubber bands stretching and snapping back).