Digestive System Lab

In this lab, the goal was to visualize the actual length of the digestive tract. To do this, we measured different parts of our body to roughly determine what the actual length of the different parts of the system were. For example, to determine the length of the small intestine, we measured our height in inches and multiplied that measure by four. This lab enabled me to really understand the huge length of our digestive tract because it measures out to be much longer than we are tall. My digestive system is about 8 times longer than I am tall, so it is indeed a lot taller than I am. It is able to fit inside of me because it folds tightly together to conserve space. These folds increase the surface area of the tract to increase the rate of diffusion. I think that it will take about an hour for food to fully go through the whole digestive system. I was very wrong in my assumption. According to verywell.com, it takes about 50 hours for food to pass through the whole digestive system. This is very surprising to me because that seems like a very long time for it go through. That is way more time than it will take for a person to eat their next meal. So basically, a person will always have food inside of their body if they eat three meals per day. Factors that will influence the time it takes include absorption of the nutrients and the amount of fiber in the body. Digestion is different than absorption because digestion is mainly about breaking down food into smaller bits, while absorption is about taking in the nutrients form the food. Digestion includes the mouth, stomach, and liver. These organs work together to help break down food into its monomers. Absorption involves the small and large intestine. The intestines take in nutrients from the food as it passes through. This is why they are so long. I want to learn why metabolism slows down as a person grows older.

Digestive Organ	Color and length (cm)
Mouth	Maroon 10 cm
Esophagus	Purple 41 cm
Stomach	Green 17 cm
Small intestine	White 640 cm
Large intestine	Purple 159 cm
Total	867 cm

New Year Goals

This semester I will improve on taking what I learn in this class and use that knowledge to better understand how it affects me in my daily life. In order to do this, I will think deeply about the unit as a whole and extract information the is prevalent to me as a person. After doing that, I will analyze how the actions I take either comply or differ from the topics explored and adjust my daily routine based on that. At the end of each unit I will assess how well I made changes based on what was learned.

I will also get into better shape for sports. In order to reach this, I will do some sort of physical activity everyday. I will make sure that I run at least once over the weekends and run when a practice is cancelled. If the weather is not the prime condition, then I will do core work. Also, to help with this goal I will eat healthier. I will cut down on the number of sweats that I eat, and replace them with a healthier option such as fruits.