Question

Explain the respiratory volumes and capacities.

Answer 1

Hint: The human respiratory contains a pair of lungs, trachea, bronchi and bronchioles, alveoli etc. The different parameters that help in the classification of respiratory systems are respiration and lung volumes.

Complete answer:
Respiratory volume describes the amount of air that our lungs can inhale, absorb or exhale under certain conditions. The spirometer helps to calculate the volume of air present in the lungs. The respiratory volume is categorized into:
-Tidal volume: is the quantity of air that we breathe in and out of the body at the time of normal breathing. It stands roughly around ml. A normal person takes $12 - 16$ breaths each minute. The approximate volume is $6000 - 8000$.
-Inspiratory Reserve Volume: When we inhale air more than the normal capacity by inserting maximum force, the large amount of inhaled air is called inspiratory reserve volume.
-Expiratory Reserve Volume: Whenever we exhale air beyond the normal capacity by exerting maximum force, that extra amount of exhaled air is expiratory reserve volume.
-Residual volume: After releasing the air from the body, some amount of air still remains in the lungs. Thus the amount of air remains in the lungs is called residual volume.

Human lung capacity is known by the two or more lung volumes.
-Inspiratory capacity: It shows that the volume of air a person inspires during a normal respiration. It is known as the sum of inspiratory reserve volume and tidal volume.
-Expiratory capacity: It shows a total amount of air an adult exhales during a normal breathing process.
-Functional Residual capacity: It indicates the quantity of air that stays in the lungs after a normal breath.
-Vital capacity: It denotes the highest air volume that a person can inspire after breathing out forcibly.
-Total lung capacity: It shows the maximum air quantity that lungs can allow after forcible inspiration.

Note: Under normal or absolutely usual circumstances, the amount of air being held by the lungs is the tidal volume is $500$ml. When taken the maximum inspiration the entire amount of air perceived by the lung is the total capacity which is$5800$ml.