Combined ScienceCode 5129
Circulatory system
What this topic asks you to be able to do
- Describe the circulatory system as a system of blood vessels, featuring a pump and valves that guarantee blood moves in just one direction.
- Identify the structures of a mammalian heart in diagrams and photographs, limited to: the septum, the muscular wall, the left and right atria and ventricles, the coronary arteries, and the semilunar and atrioventricular valves
- Account for how thick the muscle walls are: (a) in the left ventricle compared with the right ventricle (b) in the atria compared with the ventricles
- Describe how the heart works, with reference to the contraction of the atrial and ventricular muscles and the role of the valves during one heartbeat.
- Investigate and explain how physical activity affects heart rate
- Describe coronary heart disease in relation to blocked coronary arteries, and state what its possible risk factors are, including age, gender, genetic predisposition, diet, stress, smoking and a sedentary lifestyle
- Discuss how diet and exercise can help to lower the risk of coronary heart disease