Exploring the Circulatory System
11th Grade · Science · 45 min
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Learning Objective
I can trace the flow of blood through the circulatory system, describing the structure and function of the heart, blood vessels, and blood components.
- 1
The heart's main function is to maintain a pressure gradient by generating high hydrostatic pressure to pump blood out and low pressure to bring it back in.
- 2
The heart is enclosed in a double-walled sac called the pericardium, which includes the outer fibrous pericardium and the inner serous pericardium.
- 3
The two superior chambers of the heart are called atria, which are low pressure areas, while the two inferior chambers are called ventricles, which produce high pressure.
