Respiratory System Flashcards, test questions and answers

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What is Respiratory System?

The respiratory system is a vital body system for humans and other animals, responsible for the intake of oxygen and the expulsion of carbon dioxide. It consists of several organs, including the nose, mouth, throat, larynx, trachea (windpipe), bronchi and lungs. These organs work together to facilitate inhaling oxygen-rich air through the nose or mouth and exhaling carbon dioxide out of the body. The nose is the first organ in the respiratory system. Its primary job is to filter incoming air by trapping dust particles and other foreign substances before they can enter the lungs. The nostrils also contain tiny hairs that help move dirt away from entering your lungs. After passing through your nose, air travels down your throat (pharynx) into a tube that divides into two branches called bronchial tubes (bronchi). The bronchi divide further into smaller tubes called bronchioles which lead to thousands of tiny sacs called alveoli at the end of each branch. These alveoli are where gas exchange occurs between inhaled oxygen and exhaled carbon dioxide: oxygen passes through tiny capillaries surrounding each alveolus and enters our bloodstream while carbon dioxide is expelled from our blood into these sacs before being breathed out through our mouth or nose. The respiratory system also includes muscles such as those in our chest wall which help control breathing movements the diaphragm contracts during inhalation while external intercostal muscles contract during exhalation as well as cartilage rings in our trachea which keep it open when we breathe in or out so that air can travel freely throughout this passageway. Additionally, mucous produced by goblet cells lines all passages within our respiratory tract to trap any particles not filtered by hairs in our nostrils as well as remove any debris from inhaled air before it reaches our lungs’ deepest parts. Overall, this complex network of organs allows us to move essential gases between ourselves and environment without them we would be unable to survive.