Circulatory system - Blood Vessels

Question 1

how many types of blood vessels are there

Answer 1

3

Question 2

what are the 3 blood vessels called

Answer 2

Arteries
capillaries
veins

Question 3

what do arteries do

Answer 3

carry blood away from the heart

Question 4

what do capillaries do

Answer 4

involved in the exchange of materials at the tissues

Question 5

what do veins do

Answer 5

carry blood to the heart

Question 6

functions of arteries

Answer 6

1) carry blood under pressure
2) artery walls are strong and elastic due to the high pressure of the blood
3) walls are thick compared to the lumen
4) they contain thick layers of muscle to make them strong, and elastic fibres to allow them to stretch and spring back

Question 7

Functions of capillaries

Answer 7

1) arteries branch into capillaries
2) they are tiny - too small to even see
3) they carry the blood really close to every cell in the body to exchange substances with them
4) they have permeable walls - so substances can diffuse in and out
5) they supply food and oxygen, and take away waste like CO2
6) very small lumen
7) thin wall - only one cell thick, which increases the rate of diffusion by decreasing the distance over which it occurs

Question 8

function of veins

Answer 8

1) capillaries eventually join up to form veins. the blood is at lower pressure in the veins so the walls do not have to be as thick as artery walls
2) they have a bigger lumen than arteries to help the blood flow despite the lower pressure
3) also have valves to help keep the blood flowing in the right direciton

Question 9

how do you calculate rate of blood flow

Answer 9

rate of blood flow = volume of blood / number of minutes