# Lungs & breathing

The respiratory system is the airways and lungs that draw air in, transfer oxygen to the blood, and release carbon dioxide.

## About lungs & breathing

Gray's Anatomy (1918) describes the respiratory tract from the nasal cavity down through the pharynx, larynx, trachea, and bronchi to the alveoli of the lungs, and the diaphragm as the principal muscle of breathing.

## Questions

### What is the windpipe called?

A tube about 10-12 cm long and 2 cm wide.

### What are the bronchi?

The two main branches of the trachea.

### What are bronchioles?

The smallest air-conducting tubes of the lung.

### What are alveoli?

Tiny air sacs at the end of the smallest airways.

### What are the lungs?

A pair of spongy, cone-shaped organs.

## Sources

- [Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body (1918)](https://www.bartleby.com/107/)

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