Blood and Circulation

Blood flow is the continuous running of blood in the cardiovascular system. The human body is made up of several processes all carrying out various functions. We have the gastrointestinal system which aids the digestion and the absorption of food. We also have the respiratory system which is responsible for the absorption of O2 and elimination of CO2. The urinary system removes waste from the body. The cardiovascular system helps to distribute food, O2 and other product of metabolism. The reproductive system is responsible for perpetuating the species. The nervous and endocrine system is  responsible for coordinating the integration and function of other system.

Blood is the viscous fluid composed of plasma and cells. The composition of the blood includes plasma, red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. In the microcirculation the properties of the blood cells have an important influence on flow.

Mechanics is the study of motion (or equilibrium) and the forces that cause it. The blood moves in the blood vessels, while the heart serves as the pump for the blood. The vessel walls of the heart are elastic and are movable, therefore causing the blood and the wall to exert forces on each other which in turn influence their respective motion.

Therefore to understand the mechanics of circulation of the heart, it will be worth the while to go through a review of basic mechanics of fluid, and elastic solids (momentum) and the nature of the forces exerted between two moving substances in contact.

The white blood cells are also referred to as the leucocytes. The leucocytes (the white blood cells) constitute less than 1% of the total blood cell volume in humans. The basic function of the leucocytes is to attack and destroy potentially harmful foreign matter.

The red blood cells also called the erythrocytes. These constitute between 38 and 48 percent of the whole blood. These cells keep the tissue alive by bringing oxygen to it and taking carbon dioxide away.