THE CIRCULATORY SYSTEM

The circulatory system

transports oxygen, nutrients,
and waste through the body. It
is made up of the heart, blood
vessels, and blood. The main
organ of the circulatory system
is the heart. The heart pumps
blood throughout the body.
Every minute, your heart beats
about once a second, and
probably more when exercising.
Your heart weighs about one
pound, but can pump five or more quarts of blood per
minute. In fact, in a single day your heart will pump
about 2, gallons of blood through your circulatory
system! "lood leaves the heart through arteries. #rteries
lead to capillaries. $e have over a mile%s& worth of
capillaries. 'eins carry the blood bac( to the heart. There
are four components of blood) white blood cells, red
blood cells, plasma, and platelets.
THE RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
The respiratory system
helps us breathe. The
lungs are composed of
three main parts. Each
person has a trachea
%windpipe& which divides
into two bronchi. Then it
divides into even smaller
pieces called alveoli.
#lveoli are tiny, hollow air sac(s along the airways
where the airways where the blood produces carbon*
dioxide. The air we breathe is made up of several gases.
+xygen is the most important for (eeping us alive
because body cells need it for energy and growth.
$ithout oxygen, the body,s cells would die. There are
many diseases that can harm and even destroy the
respiratory system. #sthma is a disease that causes
coughing and ma(es it hard to breathe. -ung cancer is a
ma.or cause of death particularly among smo(ers. Even
pollution can hurt our respiratory system. It is a very
important system.
THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
The digestive system serves
two main functions, brea(ing
down food into nutrients and
getting nutrients into blood.
+rgans that ma(e up the
digestive system include the
mouth, esophagus, stomach,
small intestine, and large
intestine, also (nown as the
colon. $hen you eat foods
/such as bread, meat, and
vegetables/they are not in a
form that the body can use as nourishment. 0ood and
drin( must be changed into smaller molecules of
nutrients before they can be absorbed into the blood and
carried to the cells. This process is called digestion.
$hen you swallow food goes down your esophagus.
Then it goes to the stomach, and then it goes to the small
intestine and after that the large intestine. The digestive
system is a way for the body to get nutrients and get rid
of waste that the body cannot use.
THE NERVOUS SYSTEM
The nervous system allows
you to respond to our
environment. $e have
receptors in our bodies.
1eceptors are in sensory
organs such as our ears, eyes,
nose, s(in, and mouth. +ur
spinal cord is a ma.or part of
the nervous system.
THE EXCRETORY SYSTEM
The excretory system ta(es
away waste. The waste
flows from the (idneys to
the bladder. In this system
we get rid of the acid and
other items that, if we did
not get rid of, would (ill us.
THE SKELETAL SYSTEM
In the skeletal system there
are many .oints and bones.
In bone tissue there is bone
marrow. "one marrow
ma(es white and red blood
cells. There are also many
bones. #n average adult has
22 bones!! "ones meet at
.oints. 3ome allow
movement, li(e the ones in
our arms, but others don4t,
li(e the ones in our s(ulls.
There also is cartilage. That
is the stuff that is in the tip
of your nose and ears. $e have bones to protect our
organs, such as our brain. +ur s(ull completely
surrounds the brain. +ur rib cage protects the
important organs located there.
THE MUSCULAR SYSTEM
The muscular system is made up of three types of
muscles) voluntary, smooth, and cardiac. 'oluntary
muscles move bones and (eep the s(eleton upright
.it moves muscles li(e the ones in your arm or legs.
It can bend it and straighten it again. 3mooth
muscles contract slowly and move substances
through the organs they surround. 5ardiac muscles
ma(e up the walls of the heart.
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