Lung volumes: explain the model comparison

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

Use the corrected calculation table to explain a difference between two models and one limit of the comparison.

2. Start the work

Recheck the E1 and E2 vital-capacity calculations with Reference R. Keep any correction visible.

Show all 4 required steps
  1. Recheck the E1 and E2 vital-capacity calculations with Reference R. Keep any correction visible.
  2. Find the larger VC and subtract the smaller VC. Record the difference in liters.
  3. Use the packet's five prompts to write one paragraph: claim, both values and the difference, reasoning from Reference R, meaning and a limit from E3.
  4. Submit the paragraph and corrected table as one readable PDF in Wk15 CER: Spirometry data CER analysis. Choose your own section below and follow the posted due date.

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 use corrected VC values and show the difference in liters.
  • I explain how the three component values produce the different totals.
  • I compare models without claiming a health result.
  • I submit one paragraph and the corrected table together.

3. Turn in your work

DueCheck Schoology
Hand in
Lung-volume comparison paragraph with the corrected calculation table
How to submit and name your file

Submit one PDF with your comparison paragraph and corrected table in Wk15 CER: Spirometry data CER analysis. 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 CER: Spirometry data CER analysis

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: Vital capacity counts movable air. Total lung capacity also includes the air that remains. Today: A comparison needs the values, the rule connecting them and a clear limit.

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

💡 Big idea: A comparison needs the values, the rule connecting them and a clear limit.

  1. 0-15 minCheck yesterday's table and make corrections visible
  2. 15-30 minCalculate the difference between models
  3. 30-50 minDraft one paragraph using the five prompts
  4. 50-65 minCheck the reasoning and evidence limit
  5. 65-80 minRevise, submit and explain assumed versus measured values
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

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

Daily take-home

A comparison needs the values, the rule connecting them and a clear limit.

Read this first

Driving question: Which model has the larger , and what does that comparison mean?

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

New idea: A comparison needs the values, the rule connecting them and a clear limit.

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-COMPARE · Simulated classroom evidence scenario

Your role: student checking a calculation record

Decision: Decide what the two VC totals support. Use Reference R, E1, E2 and the limits in E3.

  • Compare the corrected VC totals and explain the difference using their component values.
  • Use the larger VC to identify the healthier model, without any other information.
  • Wait for a time record before deciding whether one model changed between tests.

Response: One paragraph using the five packet prompts, with the corrected table. 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

Recheck E1 and E2 VC, then subtract the smaller from the larger. Write liters.

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 comparison paragraph and corrected table in Wk15 CER: Spirometry data CER analysis. 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: CER: Lung-volume comparison paragraph with the corrected calculation table
  • 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 comparison paragraph and corrected table in Wk15 CER: Spirometry data CER analysis. Choose your own section. Follow its posted due date and check the uploaded preview.