Help with Biology homework

@slytherinstarling123 If you're looking to have a 1-1 chat using a member account might be more appropriate.

I had to know this quite a while ago, but haven't had to deal with anything like that for over a decade so I forget the details. Here's how I would tackle it though:

1. Make myself a simple diagram with all the important aspects ie. 4 chambers, the main arteries involved and the lungs.

2. Read through my textbook (or whatever is being used to learn from). Pause after each step, note it down in point form below my diagram and also look at my diagram to really get each point.

3. Here I break off if a) I don't totally understand b) I understand what I've done.

3a) Grab another resource. Maybe a textbook, maybe text based info online. Youtube videos is something that weren't around in the same way as a learning resource when I did most of my schooling but are great now! Go back to step 2 and work through this until I can get to step 3b. If really stuck I think if I were to ask for someone in help I would want to be face to face, as they could then draw through it as needed.

3b) I would draw arrows on my diagram - consider using different colours for oxygenated and deoxygenated blood. Go through it without pausing between each step. Redraw out the diagram at least once and see if I can do so without needing to go back to the notes I made. Take a break and come back to ensure I really understand my own notes.

4. Commit to long term memory by looking it over from time to time - clearly I needed to do this more decades ago!

@slytherinstarling123

Hello Slytherinstarling123, Sorry for my late response. I will try my best to simplify and be as descriptive as possible.

Before we begin, we must first know what the heart is. The heart is a cardiac muscle which lies in the chest cavity. The heart is surrounded by a membrane called the pericardium.

Before we continue describing the process, lets first learn the parts of the heart.

The blue is usually used to show deoxygenated blood or veins and red is usually used to show oxygenated blood or arteries.

Now you know the parts of the heart, lets continue.

Deoxygenated blood (blood that contains little to no oxygen) comes from all over the body to the right side of the heart. The deoxygenated blood enters the heart through the Superior vena cava (from the head) and the inferior vena cava (from the body). From there, it enters the right atrium. From the right atrium, the blood passes through the tricuspid valve into the right ventricle. Valves prevent the backflow of blood. The deoxygenated blood then passes through the semi-lunar or pulmonary valve (whichever you want to call it) into the pulmonary artery to the lungs.

The deoxygenated blood then passes through capillaries surrounding the alveoli of the lungs. The alveoli are the many tiny air sacs of the lungs which allows for gaseous exchange. As the deoxygenated blood passes through the capillaries, gaseous exchange takes place through the process of diffusion. Diffusion is the movement of a substance from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration. The Deoxygenated blood has a higher concentration of carbon dioxide inside the capillaries than inside the alveoli. As a result, the carbon dioxide would diffuse through the membrane of the alveoli. Likewise, inside of the alveoli has a higher concentration of oxygen than the deoxygenated blood. As a result, the oxygen would move across the membrane into the deoxygenated blood. The carbon dioxide in the alveoli is removed via the process of exhalation.

(DIAGRAM SHOWING DEOXYGENATED BLOOD(BLUE) BEING OXYGENATED (RED) IN THE ALVEOLI)

The now oxygen-rich blood then continues its journey to the left side of the heart. The oxygenated blood enters the left-hand side of the heart through the pulmonary veins. From there, it enters the left atrium. It then passes through the bicuspid or mitral valve (whichever name you want to use) into the left ventricle. From the left ventricle, it passes through the semi-lunar or aortic valve. From there, it passes through the aorta where it would begin its journey to all parts of the body to deliver vital oxygen.

The heart pumps this blood with great pressure to ensure it reaches every part of the body and back. Thats why arteries do not have any valves. In arteries, the blood is under constant pressure which means the blood is going in one direction. In veins, however, there is no pressure. So valves are necessary in order to prevent the backflow of blood. This is the purpose of all valves in the human body, to prevent backflow.

The heart continues this same process over and over until you die.

This is the route followed by blood is:

Body ---> Heart ---> lungs ---> heart ---> body

Tips/Useful information:

1. The two halves of the heart are separated by the septum. This is to ensure the blood in the left and right halves dont mix.

2. Even though the heart is full of blood, the heart requires its own blood supply. The heart is supplied by the coronary arteries.

3. Arteries carry blood away from the heart and veins carries blood to the heart.

4. Our blood is responsible for transporting a lot more than oxygen and carbon dioxide. It transports digested food (fats, glucose, etc….) urea and other nitrous waste, hormones, and heat to name a few.

5. The heart is pumped in cycles, called the cardiac cycle. In the cardiac cycle, there are two main phases, diastole and systole phase.

6. In the diastole phase, the atria and ventricles are relaxed. Blood from the body and lungs flows into the atria. The valves between the atria and ventricles are open allowing blood from the atria to flow into the ventricles. Basically, diastole is the filling phase.

7. In the systolic phase, both atria contract together, forcing more blood into the ventricles. Both ventricles then contract at the same time forcing blood out of the heart. If you remember what I said before, you would know that the right ventricle pumps blood into the pulmonary arteries to be carried to the lungs. The left ventricle pumps blood into the aorta to be carried to all part of the body. Basically, systole is the pumping phase.

8. Blood pressure can be measured by measuring the systolic and diastolic pressure.

9. The body gets rid of carbon dioxide because carbon dioxide is a weak acid, the more carbon dioxide in the blood, the more acidic the blood becomes. So if the body does not get rid of carbon dioxide, the blood would become too acidic. Carbon dioxide has the chemical formula CO2. This means that for every one molecule of carbon, there are two molecules of oxygen. When this is dissolved in water, carbon dioxide forms carbonic acid, H2CO3. Carbon acid can lose two hydrogen atoms or protons. The loss of protons in a solution is what makes that solution acidic.

This is how the human heart looks.

If you have any question, dont hesitate to ask 😊

If this wasn't helpful, I encourage you to do some research on this topic.

@slytherinstarling123

I forgot to include labeled diagrams of heart.