Back To All Questions

Alveolar oxygen diffusion

Q.

The figure shows:
● Alveoli permeable to oxygen (O2) next to a blood vessel
● The concentration of O2 in the alveoli and blood vessel when a person first inhales
● Oxygen molecules represented by white circles
● One oxygen molecule labeled “X”

After the initial conditions shown above, the system rapidly reaches equilibrium where there is the same concentration of oxygen molecules in the alveoli and the blood vessel. Where would you predict the oxygen molecule labeled “X” will be found just before equilibrium is reached?
A. In the alveoli
B. In the capillary
C. Cannot predict

Explain your reasoning about where the oxygen molecule labeled “X” would be located just before equilibrium is reached.

Where would you predict the oxygen molecule labeled “X” would be located after equilibrium is reached?
A. In the alveoli
B. In the capillary
C. Cannot predict

Explain your reasoning about where the oxygen molecule labeled “X” would be located after equilibrium is reached.

Animole image

Audiences:

Undergraduate

Topics:

Physiology,  Diffusion,  Flux,  Respiratory,  Biology

Special Instructions

  1. Login to your account on this website
  2. Return to this question
  3. Click on the link below Analyze your data for this question.
  4. On your spreadsheet, verify that the multiple-choice selections have the text of the choice rather than ‘a, b, c’.
  5. Upload your spreadsheet for analysis
  6. Use the ‘Student Text Response Column (Start)’ dropdown menu to select the column containing the student responses to the first multiple-choice part of the question.
  7. Use the ‘Student Text Response Column (End)’ dropdown menu to select the column containing the student responses to the final open response part of the question.
  8. All four columns containing student responses should now be highlighted in teal
  9. Add a note (e.g. pre-instruction) to your file if desired

Background Information

Associated Publications

No Associated Publications

Question Instructions

We recommend that you administer these questions as homework and preface the question with these instructions for students:

"For the following question, please respond to the best of your knowledge and using only the information in the question and what you know. Please do not refer to any outside sources (textbooks, notes, internet, etc.). Any reasonable attempt to answer the question will be awarded full credit."

Find Questions

Upload Data

Review