can you figure out the lung capacity of someone? how?

Answer 1

You need a container that you can fill with water and put upside down into a bigger container with some water in(eg a 2-gallon catering container for ketchup or etc, upside down in a half-filled bath). You also need a length of tubing that can reach from outside the bath, to inside the upside-down container.

By taking a really deep breath, and then breathing out (into the pipe) as much as you can, you can replace some of the water with air that used to be in your lungs. As soon as you've finished blowing, put your thumb over the pipe to stop any of the air coming back out.

While the container is still upside down and underwater, put the cap back on it. You can then take it out of the bath and either weigh it, or pour out the water still in it into a measuring jug.

The difference between its total capacity, and the amount still in it, is the same as the amount of air you breathed out.

This amount is NOT actually your total lung capacity; it's called the 'tidal volume', because you breathe it in and out like a tide. There's some air you can't breathe out, no matter how hard you try (your lungs are never totally flattened out, unless you died in an elephant avalanche). This remaining air is called the 'residual volume', and it's usually about half of what you can measure, ie a third of the total.

Answer 2

you can measure VO2 max at most health club fitness assessment s. You can also get a measure of VO2 max from your doctor with a complete physical.

There was work done a number of years ago around not measuring VO2 max but using a questionarre to predict it. They found that the questionarre was within 5% accuracy.

A google or yahoo search for 'vo2 max questionairre' will show the main citation results from pubmed and other articles.

Answer 3

give the person CPR when they explode you have found the capacity.

Answer 4

go to your doctor and ask for pulmonary function tests