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Major Structures / Organs
Major Structures / Organs
Function
Function
Internal transportation system
The circulatory system is made up of blood vessels that carry blood away from and towards the heart. Arteries carry blood away from the heart and veins carry blood back to the heart.
The circulatory system carries oxygen, nutrients, and hormones to cells, and removes waste products, like carbon dioxide.
Figure 2: Diagram of circulatory system. Remember, blood is ALWAYS red. Sometimes in diagrams, the illustrator will draw veins in blue and arteries in red so the reader can see the difference
Reading
Reading
Functions
Functions
The circulatory system is the highway for chemicals, nutrients, water and blood. It carries these things to every part of your body. Think of the blood, nutrients, gasses, and chemicals as cars and the circulatory system as a network of highways, main streets, and side streets.
Sometimes, the circulatory system acts like a dump truck picking up trash. The circulatory system works with the excretory system to carry waste to excretory organs.
Major Organs
Major Organs
Heart - The heart is the circulatory organ that pumps blood to keep it moving through the highways (veins and arteries) body.
Arteries and Veins -Arteries are the tubes that carry chemicals AWAY from your heart. One way to remember this is the following mnemonic ‘A’ for ‘A’rtery = ‘A’ for ‘A’way. Veins carry blood, nutrients, gasses, and chemicals TO your heart.
Capillaries - The smallest tube that transports blood. Capillaries are smaller than arteries and veins. Capillaries connect arteries and veins. They are very important and connect to each part of the body.
Interactions with Other Systems
Interactions with Other Systems
The circulatory system works closely with all the systems. It is the highway that connects each part of your body. It transports oxygen, waste, nutrients, hormones, and more to each cell. It is a very important system.
The circulatory system collaborates with the respiratory system to transport oxygen from the lungs to each cell in your body. It also takes the carbon dioxide (waste) from cells back to the lungs so the lungs can get rid of it (breathe it out).
Another system that works closely with the circulatory system is the excretory system. The excretory system filters waste from the blood and gets rid of it in your urine. To learn more about this process, visit the excretory system page on this website.
Videos
Videos
Exploring the Heart
Exploring the Heart
Find out how the heart works and how blood flows through your body! This little red blood cell takes us on a ride through the body. See what happens as we go through the circulatory system highway! Learn about how many heartbeats your heart makes through the day. Find out why your blood needs to travel through your lungs. Learn more about your body here
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