If you're in a vacuum ...

britboy4321 · 2 Jun 2011 at 17:57

Could you make your lungs go bigger if you attempted to breath? Or would it be like if you gaffer tape up your mouth (or hold your hand over it air tight) .. as in, you can't physically make your lungs go bigger they just stay the same size but 'strain'?

Serious (if bizarre, and badly written) question ... debate at work (yes, we're bored!)

Memphis · 2 Jun 2011 at 17:57

lol britboy4321

sanaxe1 · 2 Jun 2011 at 17:57

Depends if its a dyson.

JBod · 2 Jun 2011 at 17:58

If you opened your mouth explosive decompression would just suck any gas out of your lungs... which is why if you are unprotected in a vacuum you can survive for bare minute or two by big exhale + extreme clenching (eyes close , bent over etc...).

SlyReaper · 2 Jun 2011 at 17:59

Yes you'd be able to make your lungs bigger (assuming the air has already been expelled) because there'd be no pressure differential between inside and out.

Edit: wait, I'm talking rubbish. The pressure of your own bodily fluids would keep the lungs compressed.

DAnDan · 2 Jun 2011 at 18:00

Assuming you hadn't died for the many reasons you would in a vacuum, then yes you could expand your lungs, but as there's no air, they would just suck in nothing, so still be empty.

Gixer · 2 Jun 2011 at 18:11

I'd say no they wouldnt expand. The only reason lungs expand is because you're filling them with air. In a vacuum there is no air so why would they expand?

Try expanding your lungs without inhaling any air, can you do it?

I'm probably wrong tho

Pete.Dakota · 2 Jun 2011 at 18:14

Gixer said:
I'd say no they wouldnt expand. The only reason lungs expand is because you're filling them with air. In a vacuum there is no air so why would they expand?

Try expanding your lungs without inhaling any air, can you do it?

This. Essentially try breathing with your nose pinched close and mouth shut. With no air filling the lungs, they do not expand.

SlyReaper · 2 Jun 2011 at 18:15

Pete.Dakota said:
This. Essentially try breathing with your nose pinched close and mouth shut. With no air filling the lungs, they do not expand.

By the same token, there's no surrounding air compressing your chest.

theNude · 2 Jun 2011 at 18:31

your body fluids would boil.

Cosimo · 2 Jun 2011 at 18:37

Why don’t talk about something more interesting like tomorrow’s test match?

Fenris · 2 Jun 2011 at 18:38

Well you would still have a diaphragm so you could expand your thoracic cavity however with no air to move into your lungs due to the change of pressure I don't know if your lungs would expand.

markweatherill · 2 Jun 2011 at 18:47

Regardless, you would not then be able to say 'Hey man, this sucks!' as your vocal chords wouldn't work, and sound would not carry.

fleming222 · 2 Jun 2011 at 18:48

But there is gas still being produced by the cells in your body.
So your lungs would inflate from the co2 diffusion out of your blood into your lungs?
Very Slowly?

Absomalutely · 2 Jun 2011 at 18:49

Surely your lungs would just collapse? There difference in pressure would mean everything would shoot out of your lungs, and as there is nothing less dense than a vacuum, it just wouldnt do anything.

Id be more worried about your eyes popping and your brains shooting out your ears tbh

markweatherill · 2 Jun 2011 at 18:54

Absomalutely said:
brains shooting out your ears tbh

Not to be unkind to OP but I expect the skull cavity's pressure would already be equalised.

Mucky_Pup · 2 Jun 2011 at 19:29

I'll try this the next time they run the vacuum chamber at work, wish me luck! :rolleyes:

mrk · 2 Jun 2011 at 19:44

If you're bored at work, I'm sure your manager can find some work that needs to be done!

fleming222 · 2 Jun 2011 at 20:22

It's a good question. One which can only really be answered by testing it out.
Any takers?

Marvin · 2 Jun 2011 at 20:35

britboy4321 said:
If you're in a vacuum ...

...then you'll never make it as a cleaner.

Sorry

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