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The Human Body: Circulatory System - Structure and functions of the Heart

Grade 5ICSE

Review the key concepts, formulae, and examples before starting your quiz.

🔑Concepts

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The Heart is a hollow, muscular organ located in the chest cavity, slightly tilted towards the left. It is roughly the size of a closed fist.

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The heart is divided into four chambers: two upper chambers called the Right AtriumRight\ Atrium and Left AtriumLeft\ Atrium, and two lower chambers called the Right VentricleRight\ Ventricle and Left VentricleLeft\ Ventricle.

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A thick muscular wall called the SeptumSeptum separates the left side of the heart from the right side to prevent the mixing of oxygenated and deoxygenated blood.

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The Right SideRight\ Side of the heart receives deoxygenated blood from the body and pumps it to the lungs for oxygenation.

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The Left SideLeft\ Side of the heart receives oxygen-rich (oxygenated) blood from the lungs and pumps it to the rest of the body.

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ValvesValves are present between the chambers to ensure that blood flows in only one direction and does not flow backward.

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The rhythmic contraction and relaxation of the heart muscles is called a HeartbeatHeartbeat. A normal human heart beats about 72−8072-80 times per minute.

📐Formulae

Heart Rate=Number of BeatsTime in Minutes\text{Heart Rate} = \frac{\text{Number of Beats}}{\text{Time in Minutes}}

Cardiac Cycle=Contraction (Systole)+Relaxation (Diastole)\text{Cardiac Cycle} = \text{Contraction (Systole)} + \text{Relaxation (Diastole)}

💡Examples

Problem 1:

During a physical education class, Ravi counted his pulse and found it to be 160160 beats in 22 minutes. Calculate his heart rate per minute.

Solution:

The heart rate is 8080 beats per minute.

Explanation:

Using the formula Heart Rate=Total BeatsTotal Time\text{Heart Rate} = \frac{\text{Total Beats}}{\text{Total Time}}, we get 1602=80\frac{160}{2} = 80 beats per minute.

Problem 2:

Identify which chamber of the heart has the thickest muscular walls and explain why.

Solution:

The Left VentricleLeft\ Ventricle has the thickest walls.

Explanation:

The Left VentricleLeft\ Ventricle must pump oxygenated blood to the entire body, which requires a much higher pressure than pumping blood just to the lungs (done by the Right VentricleRight\ Ventricle). Therefore, it has thicker muscular walls to generate that force.