Double circulation
Blood passes through the heart twice on each full trip: once to the lungs and once to the body.
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Analogy
A figure of eight, with the heart at the crossing.
In practice
The right side pumps blood to the lungs. The left side pumps it round the body.
Practice
Flashcards
- Which side of the heart pumps blood to the lungs?The right side.
Questions people ask
Why does the left side of the heart have a thicker wall?
The left ventricle must pump blood all the way around the body at high pressure, while the right ventricle only pumps blood a short distance to the lungs. A thicker muscle wall on the left produces a stronger push to reach the head, arms and legs.
What are arteries, veins and capillaries?
Arteries carry blood away from the heart and have thick, elastic walls to cope with high pressure. Veins carry blood back to the heart and have valves to stop backflow. Capillaries are tiny vessels with walls one cell thick, where substances pass between blood and body cells.