Blood Vestels

Question 1

Describe the arteries in your body.

Answer 1

Your arteries carry blood away from your heart to the organs of your body. The blood is usually bright red oxygenated blood. Your arteries stretch as the blood is forced through them and go back into shape afterwards. This is the oulse that you feel. Arteries have thick walls containing muscle and elastic fibre.

Question 2

Describe veins:

Answer 2

Veins carry blood away from organs and towards your heart. The blood in them is usually in low oxygen and therefore a deep purple red colour. Veins have much thinner walls than arteries and often have valves (to stop backflow of blood). The blood is squeezed back towards the geart through the action of skeletal muscles.

Question 3

Describe capillaries

Answer 3

Throughout the body, capillaries form a huge newtwork of tiny vessels linking the arteries and the veins. Capillaries are narrow with very thin walls. This allows substances like oxygen and glucose to easily diffuse out of your blood amd into your cells. The same for substances produced by your cells, they pass easily into blood through the walls of capillaries.