1. heart and cardiac cycle

• whats the heart made of?

  cardiac muscle
• general function of valves in the heart?

  preventing backflow of blood in the veins
• difference in thickness between atria and ventricles in heart?

  • both atria have thinner walls, deliver blood to next chamber which is a shorter distance
  • left ventricle has thicker walls, the left has to deliver blood to al muscles in the body but the right has to just pump blood to the heart
• define cardiac cycle?

  sequence of heartbeats involving series of contractions/relaxations
• cardiac cycle- diastole?

  atria and ventricles relax, opening SL valves and AV valves. blood enters atria, passively flowing into ventricles
• cardiac cycle- atrial systole?

  atria contracts, AV valves open and blood moves from atria to ventricles
• cardiac cycle- ventricular systole?

  ventricles contract, AV valves close and SL valves open, blood moves from ventricles to pulmonary artery/aorta