levo

The Respiratory System

Lung volumes and capacities

  • 3 things to know
  • Component 1

Overview

Tidal volume, inspiratory and expiratory reserve volumes, residual volume, vital capacity, inspiratory capacity, functional residual capacity and total lung capacity, worked capacity and minute ventilation calculations, and spirometer traces in exercise.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started
Key term

What are inspiratory capacity and functional residual capacity, and how is each calculated?

Key term

Define tidal volume.

Key term

What is inspiratory reserve volume?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    Define tidal volume.

    Model answer

    Tidal volume is the volume of air breathed in or out in one normal breath. Tidal volume is about 0.5 litres at rest.

  2. 2

    What is inspiratory reserve volume?

    Model answer

    Inspiratory reserve volume is the extra air that can be forcibly breathed in after a normal inspiration.

  3. 3

    What is expiratory reserve volume?

    Model answer

    Expiratory reserve volume is the extra air that can be forcibly breathed out after a normal expiration.

  4. 4

    What is residual volume, and why does it matter?

    Model answer

    Residual volume is the air left in the lungs after a maximal expiration. Residual air keeps the alveoli from collapsing and allows gas exchange between breaths.

  5. 5

    What is vital capacity, and how is it calculated?

    Model answer

    Vital capacity is the most air that can be breathed out after a maximal inspiration. Vital capacity = TV + IRV + ERV, the tidal volume plus both reserve volumes.

  6. 6

    What is inspiratory capacity, and how is it calculated?

    Model answer

    Inspiratory capacity is the most air that can be breathed in after a normal expiration. Inspiratory capacity = tidal volume + inspiratory reserve volume.

Other ways to work this

The same content, four other ways.

What is inside Levo

Six ways to work the same material.

1Closed book
2Open book
3Closed book

The 3-step method, run for you

Answer cold, learn it, then prove it stuck. Levo tracks the jump between your first attempt and your last.

The Musculo-Skeletal System
Levers, Newton's Laws and Stability
The Respiratory System
The Cardiovascular System

Cram a whole paper in one sitting

Sort every topic into what you know and what you do not, then drill only the weak ones.

The survey began in .
201520052012

Blank Blitz makes facts automatic

Rapid timed gap-fills on the terms and numbers you need to recall without thinking.

AThe training zone is 136 to 158 bpm.
BHeart rate reserve = (220 − 40) − 70 = 110 bpm.
CLower limit = (110 × 0.6) + 70 = 136 bpm.

Build It gets the exam shape right

Assemble a full-mark answer from its marking points, in the order an examiner wants them.

Acceleration means a rise in velocity each second.
TrueFalse

Test It catches misconceptions

Spot the fault in a statement. The traps are the mistakes students actually make.

721941163128510

Brain Breaks between sessions

Short focus games to reset attention, so the next set lands better than the last.

Every question in The Respiratory System, on a schedule.

Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.

Or £46 a year, about £3.83 a month. Cancel anytime.