Hypoxia and Medicine

biology help PLZ very confused?

Red blood cells are able to transport oxygen throughout the body because oxygen binds to hemoglobin molecules within the blood cells. To learn how the concentration of oxygen in tissues affects the binding of oxygen to the hemoglobin molecule, researchers devised the following study. Samples of human blood were taken from various tissues. In each sample, the researchers measured the amount of dissolved oxygen in the tissue and isolated the hemoglobin. The amount of isolated hemoglobin was measured and then separated to determine how much of the hemoglobin had all of its binding sites filled with oxygen. The amount of saturate hemoglobin was compared with the total amount of hemoglobin to yield the percentage of hemoglobin saturation. Some results of the study are shown in the graph. Use the graph to answer the questions that follow. a. If the concentration of oxygen in the lung tissues is about 9%, what is the hemoglobin saturation of the red blood cells in the lungs?

Public Comments

1. I'm a bit confused because I have no idea what the graph looks like. In general terms, what one has is a coordinate system and a function. The coordinate system is a pair of lines, one horizontal and one vertical. The function is some sort of line superimposed on the graph. The horizontal and vertical lines are called an axis. Let's call the vertical axis line "concentration of oxygen" and the horizontal axis line "hemoglobin saturation". What is given is some value on the vertical axis line, a "9" in this case. Find out where "9" exists on the vertical axis line and draw a horizontal line through it. The line ought to intersect the function at some point. From the intersection of the line and the function, draw a vertical line. The second line drawn will intersect the horizontal axis line. Note where the second line drawn intersects the horizontal axis line. That value on the horizontal axis line will the the answer to the question. NOTE: in the horizontal axis line on the graph is "concentration of oxygen" use the same method, only the answer is going to be found on the other axis line. hope this helps