Long capacity

 

Class: 6ème, 3ème

Lesson: La respiration aerienne/L'appareil respiratoire

Rationale: Measure lung capacity by trapping exhaled air in an inverted bottle of water.

Materials:

5 l bottle (like the ones used for making palm wine)

hose (available in Bangui hardware stores or your water filter)

large dish pan (at least 41 capacity)

~6 I water

plastic lid or cork (for inverting the bottle)

Procedure:

1. Calibrate the bottle by liters.

2. Fill the bottle with water and invert it in a dishpan of water.

3. Insert the hose in the neck of the bottle.

4. Have the student take a deep breath and exhale through the hose so that the air collects in the bottle displacing the water.

5. The amount of water displaced equals the lung capacity.

Bottle with water

Source: Mackean Introduction to Biology, p. 105.