Digestive System Lab

Digestive Organ           Color and Length (cm)

Mouth                            Dark green; 10 cm.

Esophagus                              Black; 41 cm.

Stomach                          Maroon; 18.5 cm.

Small Intestine                      White; 640 cm.

Large Intestine                    Yellow; 160 cm.

1. In this activity, I taped together pieces of string the length of my mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine. This showed me just how long my digestive tract is. The mouth, esophagus, and stomach were about what I expected, but the small intestine and large intestine were much larger than I expected. I have read many statistics on how long the digestive tract would be when laid out straight, but the visual representation with the string really made it sink in.
2. My digestive system is almost five and a half times as long as I am tall. It can only fit inside my body because it is folded up inside me, almost like a line at an amusement park.
3. The average time it takes for food to pass through the digestive system is one to three days; I guessed one to two days, so my guess was a little short. The time it takes for food to pass through the body varies, however, likely because of the type of food people eat, as well as how much they drink. For example, if someone had a diet high in fiber, their food would probably stay in their bodies longer than someone who had a diet composed mainly of soup.
4. Digestion is the breaking down of food, while absorption is absorbing that food into the body. The mouth and the stomach are involved in digestion, while the small and large intestines (mostly the small intestine) are involved in absorption.
5. I would still like to learn how what role bacteria play in the digestive system, as well as how gastrointestinal disorders (such as Crohn's disease and gastroparesis) work, and how they affect the body.