My conclusion for this experiment was not as I had expected. I was expecting the subjects who did exercise to have an obviously higher vital lung capacity but this was not proved from my results. The results should have showed that people who exercise were fitter than the subjects who smoke or who take no exercise. One reason why I thought this is because if a person exercises regularly it causes enlargement of the heart muscle, the blood flow to the lungs increases which slightly stretches the elastic tissue in the lungs which allows more air to enter them.
I expected smokers to show a larger difference in respiratory inefficiency because smoking usually causes a person to be short of breath even if they take moderate exercise as well. Nicotine constricts terminal bronchioles, which decreases airflow into and out of the lungs. With time, smoking leads to destruction of the elastic fibres in the lungs and is the prime cause of emphysema. These changes cause collapse of the small bronchioles and trapping of air in alveoli at the end of exhalation.
The result is less gas exchange.There are a number of factors that affected the results. Shorter people who exercise a lot still have a lower vital lung capacity compared to someone who smokes and who is tall. A smoker who exercises proved to have no real differences to smokers who did not exercise.
Non smokers could also be affected if they live with a smoker.To me it goes to show that height and weight influence the results greatly.The vital lung capacity between males and females is usually different due to the fact that males normally have larger lungs. In our experiment the male subject had the second highest results. The top result was by a female who did not smoke and who did aerobic exercise. Results would also be affected by a person who is asthmatic.
Age also makes a difference to vital lung capacity. As we get older, the airways and tissues of the respiratory tract, including the alveoli, become less elastic and more rigid; the chest wall also becomes more rigid.SELF EVALUATIONThe experiment was as controlled as possible but the results would have been more accurate if the subjects were all around the same height, weight and age. I would have liked to have had more male subjects in the class to see if that would have made any difference to the results. I was surprised at the results though.
I thought that it would clearly show that people who exercise have a much greater vital lung capacity but it didn't.
