Q:
What is the purpose of respiration?
A:
Quick Answer
The purpose of respiration is to supply the body with oxygen and eliminate carbon dioxide. Oxygen is essential for cellular respiration as cells cannot exist in the absence of it.
Continue Reading
Credit:
MLADEN ANTONOV
AFP
Getty Images
Full Answer
The human lungs are the organs responsible for respiration. Together with the nasal cavity, pharynx, larynx and trachea, they form the respiratory system. When a person inhales, air flows through the airways, inflating the lungs and filling them with oxygen. When a person exhales, the air from lungs flows out of the airways. The same cycle repeats with every single breath. As many other functions of the body, respiration is controlled by the autonomic nervous system.
Learn more about Human AnatomySources:
Related Questions
-
Q:
What path does air take when you breathe?
A: Humans inhale air that is rich in oxygen and exhale air that is rich in carbon dioxide. The pathway that air takes in the human body begins with the nose a... Full Answer >Filed Under: -
Q:
What happens in the alveoli during gas exchange?
A: During gas exchange, oxygen from the air breathed in diffuses into the bloodstream, and carbon dioxide from the bloodstream diffuses into the air in the al... Full Answer >Filed Under: -
Q:
What is the purpose of the alveoli?
A: Alveoli are small air sacs in the lungs that absorb the oxygen that we breathe in and remove all the carbon dioxide from the bloodstream. Full Answer >Filed Under: -
Q:
What happens when you hold your breath too long?
A: When a person holds his breath in for too long, the amount of carbon dioxide in his body begins to accumulate, according to The Science Creative Quarterly.... Full Answer >Filed Under:
