Merging Bio and Chem: Lungs and Gas Laws

This week I tried a new Boyle's Law activity in which the class built DIY lung systems from balloons, straws, and plastic bottles. We then compared those models with preserved lung structures and discussed intubation, pulmonary surfactant, and the complexities of ventilator use. The sequence moved from a manipulable model to real anatomy and finally to a consequential clinical application. It gave the Ideal Gas Law a much more human purpose: explaining the process we all carry out every day, all day, when we breathe.