Part 6 · The Lungs and Breathing
Same concept, other depth: Clinical Reasoning →
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The problem — surface tension: water molecules pull on each other at an air–water surface (that's why water forms droplets). In the alveolus this pull tends to collapse it. The law of Laplace says the collapsing pressure = 2 × surface tension ÷ radius — so smaller alveoli feel a bigger collapsing pressure and would empty into larger ones.
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