Digestive System Basics
What is the main function of the digestive system?
To break down food into smaller molecules that the body can use.
What type of digestion happens when you chew your food?
Mechanical digestion.
What are enzymes made of?
Proteins.
What is absorption?
When small food molecules move from the small intestine into the bloodstream.
What system carries nutrients and oxygen through the body?
The circulatory system.
Where does digestion begin in the body?
In the mouth.
What type of digestion uses acids or enzymes to break down food molecules?
Chemical digestion.
What do enzymes do in the digestive system?
Speed up chemical reactions that break down food.
What are villi and what do they do?
Tiny finger-like folds in the small intestine that absorb nutrients.
Which two systems work together to get oxygen to cells?
The respiratory and circulatory systems.
What organ mixes food with acids and enzymes to form a soupy mixture?
The stomach.
What kind of change is mechanical digestion — physical or chemical?
Physical change.
What enzyme in saliva breaks down starch into sugar?
Amylase.
What is diffusion?
The movement of molecules from high to low concentration.
Which two systems work together to get glucose to cells?
The digestive and circulatory systems.
What is the long, coiled tube where most nutrients are absorbed?
The small intestine.
What organ performs both mechanical and chemical digestion?
The stomach.
What happens to enzymes when they get too hot or the pH changes?
They stop working (denature).
What lab modeled diffusion in the body?
The “Diffusion in a Bag” (starch + iodine) lab.
Why do we need both food and oxygen?
Cells use both to make energy through cellular respiration.
What part of the body absorbs water and prepares waste for removal?
The large intestine.
What’s the difference between mechanical and chemical digestion?
Mechanical breaks food into smaller pieces; chemical changes it into new substances.
In the gelatin + pineapple juice lab, which cup stayed liquid and why?
The fresh pineapple cup, because it contained the active enzyme bromelain.
How does diffusion help the body get nutrients?
How does diffusion help the body get nutrients?Nutrients move through the villi into the bloodstream by diffusion.
hat might happen if one system stops working properly?
Cells can’t get energy, causing tiredness, illness, or death.