Background: Inhaling is an active movement that results from the contraction of a muscle called the diaphragm. The diaphragm is large, sheet-like muscle below the lungs (see Figure below ). When the diaphragm contracts, the ribcage expands and the contents of the abdomen move downward. This results in a larger chest volume, which decreases air pressure inside the lungs. With lower air pressure inside than outside the lungs, air rushes into the lungs. When the diaphragm relaxes, the opposite events occur. The volume of the chest cavity decreases, air pressure inside the lungs increases, and air flows out of the lungs, like air rushing out of a balloon.

Situation: Keith is a physician in a local hospital. He is treating a patient with respiratory problem. He looked at two different states of the patient's diaphragm, state A and state B. In state A the the diaphragm contracted, but in state B the diaphragm relaxed. He now needs to figure out other phenomena related to this.

Question: When would the ribcage expand, state A or state B?
Answer: state A

Situation: Keith is a physician in a local hospital. He is treating a patient with respiratory problem. He looked at two different states of the patient's diaphragm, state A and state B. In state A the the diaphragm contracted, but in state B the diaphragm relaxed. He now needs to figure out other phenomena related to this.

Question: When would the ribcage contract, state A or state B?
Answer: state B

Situation: Keith is a physician in a local hospital. He is treating a patient with respiratory problem. He looked at two different states of the patient's diaphragm, state A and state B. In state A the the diaphragm contracted, but in state B the diaphragm relaxed. He now needs to figure out other phenomena related to this.

Question: When would the air pressure inside lungs increase, state A or state B?
Answer: state B

Situation: Keith is a physician in a local hospital. He is treating a patient with respiratory problem. He looked at two different states of the patient's diaphragm, state A and state B. In state A the the diaphragm contracted, but in state B the diaphragm relaxed. He now needs to figure out other phenomena related to this.

Question: When would the air pressure inside lungs decrease, stae A or state B?
Answer: state A

Situation: Keith is a physician in a local hospital. He is treating a patient with respiratory problem. He looked at two different states of the patient's diaphragm, state A and state B. In state A the the diaphragm contracted, but in state B the diaphragm relaxed. He now needs to figure out other phenomena related to this.

Question: Would the air pressure inside lungs increase or decrease in state A?
Answer: decrease

Situation: Keith is a physician in a local hospital. He is treating a patient with respiratory problem. He looked at two different states of the patient's diaphragm, state A and state B. In state A the the diaphragm contracted, but in state B the diaphragm relaxed. He now needs to figure out other phenomena related to this.

Question: Would the air pressure inside lungs increase or decrease in state B?
Answer: increase

Situation: Keith is a physician in a local hospital. He is treating a patient with respiratory problem. He looked at two different states of the patient's diaphragm, state A and state B. In state A the the diaphragm contracted, but in state B the diaphragm relaxed. He now needs to figure out other phenomena related to this.

Question: When would the volume of the chest cavity increase, state A or state B?
Answer: state A

Situation: Keith is a physician in a local hospital. He is treating a patient with respiratory problem. He looked at two different states of the patient's diaphragm, state A and state B. In state A the the diaphragm contracted, but in state B the diaphragm relaxed. He now needs to figure out other phenomena related to this.

Question: When would the volume of the chest cavity decrease, state A or state B?
Answer: state B

Situation: Keith is a physician in a local hospital. He is treating a patient with respiratory problem. He looked at two different states of the patient's diaphragm, state A and state B. In state A the the diaphragm contracted, but in state B the diaphragm relaxed. He now needs to figure out other phenomena related to this.

Question: When would the air flow out of the lungs, state A or state B?
Answer: state B

Situation: Keith is a physician in a local hospital. He is treating a patient with respiratory problem. He looked at two different states of the patient's diaphragm, state A and state B. In state A the the diaphragm contracted, but in state B the diaphragm relaxed. He now needs to figure out other phenomena related to this.

Question: When would the air flow into the lungs, state A or state B?
Answer: state A