Formal Lab Report Measuring Vital Capacity Chart printable pdf download

Date: __________________________________________

ORMAL

EPORT

Measuring Vital Capacity:

Athletes vs. Non-Athletes

Background information

At rest, humans exchange only a fraction of their total lung volume while breathing. This

amount of air is called the tidal volume. With effort, additional air can be inhaled and exhaled; these

volumes are called the inspiratory reserve and expiratory reserve, respectively. Together, all of

these make up the vital capacity of the lungs, which is the total amount of air that can be inhaled and

exhaled in a single breath.

Vital capacity can be affected by several factors, such as sex, age, height, and regular aerobic

exercise. The goal of today’s study is to determine whether regular aerobic exercise has an effect on

vital capacity

Figure 1 The vital capacity includes the tidal volume, plus the

inspiratory and expiratory reserve volumes.

Procedure: Estimate your vital capacity

1. Pull a round balloon several times to stretch it out.

2. Inhale as much air as you can and exhale it into the balloon forcefully.

3. Pinch the end of the balloon, lay it on its side, and measure its

diameter, in cm (see Figure 2).

4. Repeat the procedure so that you have a total of 3 measurements.

5. Record all three measurements on the table below and determine the

average of all 3 trials.

Trial 1

Trial 2

Trial 3

Average

Balloon

Diameter (cm)

Figure 2 Lay the balloon on its side and

measure its diameter using a ruler.

6. Using the lung capacity graph at the end of this package, convert the average diameter of the

balloon into a volume. Record this value onto your sheet.

Record your True Vital Lung Capacity in the class data table, along with your name, sex, age,

height (cm), and whether you are an athlete (Y/N).

[this will be posted on the class website for analysis]

SBI-3U1 Chui

Formal Lab Report Measuring Vital Capacity Chart