Glenn Elert
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The Physics Factbook™
Edited by Glenn Elert -- Written by his students
An educational, Fair Use website
topic index | author index | special index
| Bibliographic Entry | Result (w/surrounding text) | Standardized Result |
|---|---|---|
| Seeley, Stephens & Tate. Essentials of anatomy And Physiology, Third Edition. McGraw-Hill, 1999. | "Total lung capacity is the sum of the inspiratory and expiratory reservres and the tidal and residual volumes (»5800 mL)." | 5800 cm3 |
| Lung. Microsoft Encarta. 2001. | "In adults, the tidal volume is equal to about 0.5 liters (about 1 pt.). The lungs can hold about ten times this volume if they are filled to capacity. [5 liters]" | 5000 cm3 |
| Therapeutic Exercise: Foundations and Techniques, Third Edition. Canada: Davis, 1996. | "TLC [Total Lung Capacity] is approximately 6000 mL in a healthy young adult." | 6000 cm3 |
| Joan Luckmann, R.N., Karen Creason Sorenson, R.N., M.N. Medical-Surgical Nursing: A Psychophysiologic Approach Philadelphia: Saunders, 1974. | "The ratios between these usually are as follows: the RV is 25 percent of the TLC; the VC is 75 percent of the TLC; normally the TLC is about 6 L. (i.e. 6000 mL)" | 6000 cm3 |
| Moses, M.D., Scott. Lung Volumes. Family Practice Notebook (20 May 2001). | "Normal adult: 4-6 liters" | 4000–6000 cm3 |
From day to day, humans continuously perform two processesthat enable them to carry oxygen to and from the lungs: inspirationand expiration. Inspiration is a movement of air into the lungs,and expiration is a movement of air out of the lungs.
Tidal volume is the amount of air taken into the lungs in asingle breath. In the average adult, tidal volume is about 0.5 liters.However, the lungs can hold a total of about 4-6 liters,which is close to ten times the tidal volume. This amount is knownas the vital capacity. Vital capacity is the maximum volume expelledafter maximal inspiration. Vital capacity can only be reachedduring strenuous exercise. In order to find the total lung capacity(TLC), we must take the residual volume (the volume remainingin the lungs after maximal expiration) into account. Total lungcapacity can be found by adding the vital capacity and the residualvolume. The residual volume is usually 25 % of the TLC while theVital capacity makes up the other 75%.
Total Lung capacity is dependent upon many factors such asweight, sex, age and activity. For example, females tend to havea 20-25% lower capacity than males. Tall people tend to have alarger total lung capacity than shorter people. Heavy smokershave a drastically lower TLC than nonsmokers. Some people, suchas elite athletes, have a TLC well above average. While the averageTLC is about 5.8 liters (5800 cm3), it variesfrom one person to the next.
Lauren Calabrese -- 2001
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