Digestive System Lab Questions

1. In this lab, we used string and ribbons to measure out the entire alimentary canal, from mouth to large intestines. The main take away was the immense length of the digestive system, which is almost an entire 8 times longer than the height of a person.
Below is the data table:

2. My height is around 1.60 m, and the total length of my digestive system was 8.767 meters long. The length of my digestive system is almost 8 times my height. This can fit inside the body because it is folded very compactly to save space and therefore can fit in the abdomen.

3. I think that the average amount of time it takes to digest food is around 7 hours, and I am right. It takes this long because it depends on what kind of food it is and how easily nutrients can be absorbed from it as it passes through the organs. Another factor that influences this is how healthy you are, and how much of the needed bacteria you have in your gut.

4. Digestion is different from absorption in that digestion is the break down of food and absorption is the absorption of nutrients. Digestion occurs in the stomach, and absorption occurs in the intestines, small and large.

5. A question I have is: Are there any foods that can withstand the stomach acid and not be broken down, and what happens when/if  those kinds of food enter the intestinal system.