If the lungs would be opened out and laid flat, what size area would they cover?

Opened out and laid flat, the lungs would cover an area the size of a tennis court

The branching of the bronchioles means that altogether there are probably more than 1,500 miles (2,400 km) of airways in the lungs!

These provide a huge area for oxygen to seep through into the blood in the short space of each breath. Breathing out requires no effort, because the spongy, elastic material of the lungs just collapses like a balloon when you "exhale" (breathe out). But to breathe in, muscles in the chest must pull to make the lungs expand.

More Info: en.wikipedia.org

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55 Comments

Gery Tillmanns

Terribly worded question.

Special Patrol Group

If the inner surface of the lungs could be stretched out flat, they would occupy an area of around 80 to 100 square meters – about the size of half of a tennis court! http://www.innerbody.com/anatomy/respiratory/lungs#full-description

bowers dennis

So that's what that mess was on the court last week!

recordpete

A pair of lungs would measure about HALF the size of a tennis court. NOT a whole court!

Jim Cunningham

Bad question that made no sense

Lawanta

"Opened out and laid flat" is a vague description that's open to different interpretations... bad question! 😠

Alfredo Rivas Lairet

About the size of half of a tennis court!

Kathleen Bishop

Gery Tillmanns, Agree and also a terrible question- I wonder if anyone has actually seen this!

pabjetster

I believe the correct answer is "HALF" a tennis court.

Shelley Durocher

Wayne Jines, He meant if you took all the parts and opened and flattened them and stratched them out. It's not meant to be realistic in the sense that someone would actually do it. It's more of a thought exercise to show the compkex nature of the organ. It's like the question, "Would it affect gravity if everybody on Earth stodd on one spot and jumped hard?" Obviously it's not "realistic." It's a thought exercise by physicists. And no, gravity would not be affected.