The purpose of this activity is to assess & examine the relationship between changes in compliance and work of breathing.

1) Inflate a small, new balloon. Describe the level of difficulty inflating this balloon. How does this compare with compliance? What type of lung does this represent? While the balloon is still inflated, let go of the balloon. Describe what happened? What did the balloon look like when it came to rest? How is this similar to compliance?

2) Continue inflating and deflating this same balloon. Describe the level of difficulty inflating this balloon after the balloon has been blown up several times. How does this compare to the initial experience of inflating the balloon?

3) Let go of the balloon and describe what happens. Describe what it looks like when it comes to rest. What is its shape? Is there air that remains in the balloon? In what ways does this represent compliance? What is the effort or work of breathing for this type of compliance?