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How to Make a Heart Valve for a Project

The human heart and its many valves is a complex organ that is critical to normal life function. These characteristics make it an ideal subject for a science project. The human heart contains four chambers, each with its own valve. Two of the heart's valves bring blood with oxygen into the heart, while the other two valves bring blood with no oxygen into the heart from the body. A simple model of a heart with valves can be created easily using inexpensive materials.

Things You'll Need

Diagram of human heart (for reference)
4-inch red latex or rubber balloon with two ears (cat-style ears are a better choice than mouse-style ears)
Clear rubber aquarium tubing
Red electric tape
Blue electric tape

Instructions

- 1
  Use a pair of scissors to make a 1-inch cut at the tip of each ear on the balloon.
- 2
  Insert one end of the rubber tube into one of the ears. Wrap blue electric tape around the ears and the tube. Apply the blue tape in a spiral and overlapping pattern. This blue-taped tube represents the valves that allow blood to leave the heart to flow into the body.
- 3
  Insert the other end of the rubber tubing into the other ear. Apply red tape to secure this piece of tubing to the balloon, using the same process described above. The red-taped tube represents the valves that let blood into the heart from the lungs.
- 4
  Blow up the balloon with air and tie the end in a knot.

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