Circulatory system

A schematic diagram, not to scale: red for oxygen-rich blood, blue for oxygen-poor blood, arrows for the direction of flow. Press a label to hide or reveal it, drag it to move it, and choose a part to read what it does.

Parts

Main parts All parts

Labels

Press a label to hide or reveal it. On wider screens, drag it, or use the arrow keys once it is selected, to move it.

Choose a label to read what the part does.

A simplified schematic, not a scale drawing: sizes and numbers of parts are for illustration only.

Name the parts

A number appears on the diagram; choose the name of the part it points to. If you are wrong you read what your choice does and what the right part does, then try again.

Only the parts to review and an unfinished round are kept, on this device only, with no name or account.

Use it in class

The worksheet and the board get exactly what is set now. You can edit the worksheet before printing, and its answer key comes on a separate page. On the board everything stays editable, and nothing is added to a live lesson.

Worksheet: blank labels Worksheet: blank labels, names given Labelled diagram on the board Blank labels and the names on the board Numbered blank labels on the board

How to use it

Choose Main parts for beginners, or All parts for older classes.
Hide all the labels, then ask the class to name each numbered part before you reveal its label.
Choose a label to read what the part does, and practise naming the parts by their numbers.
For class: print a blank-label worksheet, with its answer key on a separate page, or put the diagram on the board with editable labels.

Worked examples

One full circuit of the blood

Body organs
Superior vena cava / Inferior vena cava
Right atrium
Right ventricle
Pulmonary artery
Lungs
Pulmonary veins
Left atrium
Left ventricle
Aorta
Then Body organs again: the circuit repeats.

Double circulation: in one full circuit blood passes through the heart twice, once on its way to the lungs (pulmonary circulation) and once on its way to the rest of the body (systemic circulation). The two venae cavae empty into the right atrium side by side. After the aorta, blood reaches the body organs and the loop starts again.

The parts and what they do

A simplified human double circulation (not to scale): the heart's four chambers and the main blood vessels, showing which carry oxygen-rich blood and which carry oxygen-poor blood.

1. Heart: A muscular pump with four chambers that keeps blood moving: its right side pumps blood to the lungs and its left side to the rest of the body.
2. Right atrium: Upper right chamber that receives oxygen-poor blood returning from the body through the venae cavae.
3. Right ventricle: Lower right chamber that pumps oxygen-poor blood to the lungs through the pulmonary artery.
4. Left atrium: Upper left chamber that receives oxygen-rich blood from the lungs through the pulmonary veins.
5. Left ventricle: Lower left chamber with the thickest muscular wall; it pumps oxygen-rich blood into the aorta to supply the whole body.
6. Aorta: The largest artery; it carries oxygen-rich blood from the left ventricle to all parts of the body.
7. Superior vena cava: Large vein that brings oxygen-poor blood from the head, neck and arms back to the right atrium.
8. Inferior vena cava: Large vein that brings oxygen-poor blood from the lower body back to the right atrium.
9. Pulmonary artery: Carries oxygen-poor blood from the right ventricle to the lungs; this is unusual, because most arteries carry oxygen-rich blood.
10. Pulmonary veins: Carry oxygen-rich blood from the lungs to the left atrium; this is unusual, because most veins carry oxygen-poor blood.
11. Arteries: Thick-walled, muscular vessels that carry blood away from the heart under high pressure.
12. Veins: Thinner-walled vessels that carry blood back to the heart; many have valves that stop blood flowing backwards.
13. Capillaries: Tiny vessels with walls only one cell thick that link arteries to veins; here substances pass between the blood and body cells.
14. Lungs: Organs where blood passing through capillaries around the alveoli picks up oxygen and gets rid of carbon dioxide.
15. Body organs: All the other organs and tissues, where capillaries deliver oxygen and nutrients to cells and collect carbon dioxide and wastes.

Sources

The sentences on this page are Bayyinli's own, and the drawing was made for it. These sources were used to check names and facts only: