How does this work? Take a cube and measure its surface area. The reason there are so many of them is because this maximizes the surface area. So for the alveoli, their surface area is the maximum amount of space through which this exchange can occur, because that's the maximum amount of space these capillaries can occupy. In math, a three-dimensional object has a specific surface area. However, they have to be right up against the alveoli for this exchange to occur. These capillaries cover the outside of the alveoli and exchange the carbon dioxide molecules they have for the oxygen molecules from the lungs. The way this happens is through diffusion through the walls of extremely thin blood vessels called capillaries. However, the oxygen must first get to the blood. The reason for this is that the lungs exist to oxygenate the blood so the blood can then transport the oxygen to the rest of the body. While this does initially seem logical, this is inefficient to the point of being fatal.
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