Lung volumes: calculate the model totals

Open your materials, follow the steps, then turn in your work.

Calculate vital capacity and total lung capacity for two supplied models, showing units and assumptions.

2. Start the work

Read Reference R and Figure F1. Study Model M and answer its Try the rule question.

Show all 4 required steps
  1. Read Reference R and Figure F1. Study Model M and answer its Try the rule question.
  2. Copy records E1 and E2. Mark the RV values as assumed. All values use liters (L).
  3. Complete all four calculation rows. Show the formula, substituted values, total and L.
  4. Answer Check 1 and Check 2. Submit the model prediction, table and check answers as one readable PDF in Wk15 Data table: Spirometry lab. Choose your own section below. Keep the table for tomorrow.

Lost your place? Open Model M in the packet. Follow one addition, then use the same rule for E1. Keep the units visible.

Check your work before submitting

  • I answer the Model M change question with a reason.
  • I show four calculations with formulas, values and liters.
  • I explain why RV is excluded from VC and why TLC uses an assumed input.
  • I submit one readable PDF and keep my table for the next lesson.

3. Turn in your work

DueCheck Schoology
Hand in
Four lung-volume calculations, model prediction and two check answers
How to submit and name your file

Submit one PDF with your Model M prediction, four calculation rows and both check answers in Wk15 Data table: Spirometry lab. Choose your own section. Follow its posted due date and check the uploaded preview.

In Schoology, open your course and the assignment for this lesson. Attach your file, select Submit, and check that it appears in the submission.

PDF upload help

You get two school days for every day you were absent, so this deadline moves with you.

Choose your Schoology section. Open only one assignment.

Check the section number beside Human Anatomy and Physiology in Schoology.

Assignment: Wk15 Data table: Spirometry lab

Link will not open? Open Schoology, choose your section, and find the assignment title above.

How this lesson connects

Keep using what you learned last class: Because life-support machines are finite, hospitals must set explicit priority rules in advance, so that who receives care is decided by defended criteria rather than by chance or bias. Today: Vital capacity counts movable air. Total lung capacity also includes the air that remains.

Unit 3 guide: what to keep and use next
Need help? Warm-up, timing, and directions

💡 Big idea: counts movable air. Total lung capacity also includes the air that remains.

  1. 0-10 minRead the definitions and predict which air counts
  2. 10-25 minStudy Model M and answer its change question
  3. 25-45 minCalculate from E1 and E2
  4. 45-65 minExplain the RV assumption and check the four rows
  5. 65-80 minSubmit the PDF and keep the table for tomorrow
Mr. Mendoza's 5-minute intro
  • We will calculate from two supplied classroom models, then explain the comparison.
  • The packet supplies every value and rule. You need no equipment or personal measurements.
  • Keep your own calculation record, even if you compare methods with a partner.
Know by the end
  • (TV): Air moved during one quiet breath.
  • Inspiratory reserve volume (IRV): Extra air inhaled after a usual inhale.
  • Expiratory reserve volume (ERV): Extra air exhaled after a usual exhale.
  • Residual volume (RV): Air remaining after a full exhale. Simple does not measure it.
  • (VC): Air that can move between a full inhale and a full exhale: TV + IRV + ERV.
  • Total lung capacity (TLC): All air after a full inhale, including RV: VC + RV.

PLTW connection and today's work

Original John Hay data practice supporting PLTW HBS Activity 3.1.6, A Little TLC. The packet links to your section's official materials in Schoology.

Today's stopping point: Use the supplied simulated records only. This practice does not mark the official PLTW activity complete.

PLTW activity titles identify the course connection. If your account will not open, use the posted materials for today and tell Mr. Mendoza. Do not mark an online activity complete unless you completed it.

Course connection

  • Activity 3.1.6 A Little TLC

Use the turn-in directions at the top of this page. Do not create a second submission unless your teacher asks for one.

Show another explanation or a smaller first step

Need help? Choose a starting point

Need a running start
Read the six definitions in Reference R, then find each symbol in Model M.
On track
Show the formula, substituted values and liters. State what depends on an assumed input.
Stuck? Get unstuck
Complete one VC row using Model M. Check it before adding the assumed RV for TLC.
Push me further
Predict what happens to VC and TLC if only IRV rises by 0.2 L. Explain the rule without redoing every sum.
Lesson resources: reading, slides, and vocabulary
Socratic teaching slide deck

Use the deck and optional guided notes to check the same packet work you submit. No separate exit ticket is due.

Generated from this lesson's canonical data with a red-team citation check.

Carry forward

Because life-support machines are finite, hospitals must set explicit priority rules in advance, so that who receives care is decided by defended criteria rather than by chance or bias.

Daily take-home

counts movable air. Total lung capacity also includes the air that remains.

Read this first

Driving question: Which parts belong in each lung-volume total?

What you already know: A total combines specified parts. All six symbols are defined in Reference R below.

New idea: counts movable air. Total lung capacity also includes the air that remains.

Visual or model: F1. F1 is a formula model, not a breathing trace or anatomical bins. What to notice: VC adds three moved-air volumes. TLC adds RV to VC.

  1. Identify the air moved by one quiet breath (TV) and the extra inhale and exhale amounts (IRV and ERV).
  2. Add TV, IRV and ERV to find VC.
  3. Add RV to VC to find TLC. In this practice, RV is supplied as an assumption.
  4. Keep liters on every result. Compare only the quantities supported by the records.

Real biomedical example: Simple records moved air. A separate method is needed to measure the air that remains after a full exhale. Source: The Process of Breathing.

What the evidence supports: The records support calculated model capacities and a between-model comparison.

What it cannot prove: Compare the supplied models' lung volumes. These records cannot establish health, fitness, disease or air-sac structure.

Vocabulary:
  • (TV): Air moved during one quiet breath.
  • Inspiratory reserve volume (IRV): Extra air inhaled after a usual inhale.
  • Expiratory reserve volume (ERV): Extra air exhaled after a usual exhale.
  • Residual volume (RV): Air remaining after a full exhale. Simple does not measure it.
  • (VC): Air that can move between a full inhale and a full exhale: TV + IRV + ERV.
  • Total lung capacity (TLC): All air after a full inhale, including RV: VC + RV.

Use it now: Use Model M. If only IRV rises by 0.2 L, predict how VC changes and explain why.

Go further, optional: OpenStax and the official PLTW materials add context. The packet contains every required input for this practice.

Evidence set and decision
E1 · Model A

Simulated: TV 0.6 L; IRV 2.4 L; ERV 0.9 L; assumed RV 1.2 L.

Limit: Original classroom model, not student measurements or a .

E2 · Model B

Simulated: TV 0.7 L; IRV 2.6 L; ERV 1.0 L; assumed RV 1.2 L.

Limit: Separate from Model A, not a second test on one person.

E3 · Record limits

No time record, medical history, , oxygen data or air-sac image is supplied.

Limit: Compare the supplied models' lung volumes. These records cannot establish health, fitness, disease or air-sac structure.

HBS-LUNG-CALCULATE · Simulated classroom evidence scenario

Your role: student checking a calculation record

Decision: Choose a method that keeps movable air separate from remaining air. Then calculate all four totals from E1 and E2.

  • Request a measured RV before describing TLC as a direct total-volume measurement.
  • Add TV, IRV and ERV for VC; add the supplied assumed RV only when calculating TLC.
  • Include RV when calculating VC because every type of air belongs in every total.

Response: Four calculation rows, the Model M prediction and two packet checks. The choice discussion is preparation, not another submission.

Claim ceiling: Compare the supplied models' lung volumes. These records cannot establish health, fitness, disease or air-sac structure.

Math moment
Formula or setup

VC = TV + IRV + ERV. TLC = VC + RV.

Worked parallel example

Model M, separate worked example: TV 0.4 L, IRV 2.0 L, ERV 0.8 L, assumed RV 1.1 L. VC = 0.4 + 2.0 + 0.8 = 3.2 L. TLC = 3.2 + 1.1 = 4.3 L.

Units and reasonableness

All inputs are liters (L). Add quantities with the same unit. Mark RV as assumed.

Try it with today's data

Use E1 and E2 to complete four rows: VC and TLC for each model.

Watch the trap

Students often think the larger volume proves that a person is healthier. The trap: E1 and E2 are classroom models. E3 supplies no health evidence or comparison range

Worked example · a parallel case (guides, does not reveal)
Model M: a separate calculation example
Completes: Original calculation practice supporting HBS 3.1.6, not official case answers.

Model M, separate worked example: TV 0.4 L, IRV 2.0 L, ERV 0.8 L, assumed RV 1.1 L. VC = 0.4 + 2.0 + 0.8 = 3.2 L. TLC = 3.2 + 1.1 = 4.3 L.

QuantityModel M
TV0.4 L
IRV2.0 L
ERV0.8 L
RV, assumed1.1 L
VC3.2 L
TLC4.3 L
Worked Model M values, separate from the assigned E1 and E2 records.
Why this matters

This model shows the level of evidence and organization needed to complete: Original calculation practice supporting HBS 3.1.6, not official case answers.

Build yours step by step
  1. Name the variables and include units.
  2. Enter observations without changing the raw values.
  3. Check labels, calculations, and patterns before interpreting the data.
Change it for a new task

Keep the structure. Replace the question, facts, measurements, and evidence. Then recheck units, vocabulary, and whether the conclusion goes beyond the evidence.

Also due today: Use E1 and E2 for your own work. Follow the date's turn-in directions, not this example as a submission.

See the full worked example
Portal terms
CER:
Claim, Evidence, Reasoning: make a claim, back it with evidence, explain your reasoning.
SOP:
Standard Operating Procedure, the exact steps to follow (especially in a lab).
Tracker:
Your PLTW progress log where you record completed evidence.
myPLTW:
The PLTW course site where you do the online activities. Find it in Clever with your Microsoft sign-in, right next to Schoology.
Practice: try a question, then check your answer

Claim ceiling for this check: Compare the supplied models' lung volumes. These records cannot establish health, fitness, disease or air-sac structure.

Quick self-check · commit, then reveal

In a separate model, RV rises by 0.2 L while TV, IRV and ERV stay fixed. Which capacity changes?

How sure are you?

Write an answer and pick a confidence to unlock the key.

Cumulative WebXam review · flash practice

Fast retrieval with instant answers, not the commit-then-reveal check above. Try each from memory first: write what you remember about the earlier units, then check yourself here.

Tap an answer to check it · nothing is recorded or graded
[Review: Everything Endocrine: hormones, feedback loops, and the blood-sugar model] Which gland releases glucagon when blood sugar falls too low?
[Review: Research Model: model organisms, C. elegans, and reading the literature] Increasing the sample size in a study generally:
[Review: Cardiopulmonary Connection: heart structure and reading an EKG] Blood pressure is typically reported as two numbers representing:
Gas exchange between air and blood in the lungs takes place in the:
Missed class or ready for more?
Where this leads: careers
What to do if you were absent
Today was a project: do this instead

Use the same packet and steps. Paper is fine: scan your completed record into one readable PDF. Keep the work and tell me if upload fails.

Lung-volume packet and worked model

Submit one PDF with your Model M prediction, four calculation rows and both check answers in Wk15 Data table: Spirometry lab. Choose your own section. Follow its posted due date and check the uploaded preview.

If MR. MENDOZA is absent

Class still runs. Complete the online activity above (it's self-guided). Need the concept taught without a teacher? Use this authoritative explainer:

Lung-volume rules, records and step-by-step help
Optional extra credit (async)

You've passed Unit 2, so the optional extra-credit track is open. Complete reserved-unit work from home, including virtual labs, for extra credit. Each item shows its correct submission route.

Open the extra-credit track
How this is graded
For: Data table: Four lung-volume calculations, model prediction and two check answers
  • Complete
    Every required part of the artifact is present, nothing left blank.
  • Accurate
    The science and the data are correct and match the evidence.
  • Scientific reasoning
    You explain your claim with evidence and reasoning (CER), not just an answer.
  • Professional communication
    Clear, organized, labeled, and written the way a clinician or scientist would.
  • Submitted
    Submit one PDF with your Model M prediction, four calculation rows and both check answers in Wk15 Data table: Spirometry lab. Choose your own section. Follow its posted due date and check the uploaded preview.