Circulation

The heart pumps blood to the lungs for oxygenation as a part of the respiratory system and also pumps blood through the blood vessels of the body to supply oxygen and nutrients to the cells.

Some of the physical principles which apply to the circulatory system are:

• The measurement of blood pressure by the manometer principle which relates fluid pressure to liquid column height.
• The relation of fluid pressure to volume flowrate in Poiseuille's law.
• The relation of fluid pressure to vessel wall tension in LaPlace's law.
• The electrical control of the heart by bioelectricity and the measurement by ECG.