When a person smokes heavily for some period of time, the walls of their alveoli start to collapse. Say that this has happened for a particular smoker, producing a lung that has the same total volume but containing alveoli whose average radius has increased 3 fold. If they are to maintain the same energy expenditure rate, how much faster do they now have to breathe? Assume the same volume of air is inhaled in each breath and the flux is constant. Old breathing rate = healthy; New breathing rate = after smoking.
a. New breathing rate = 1 * Old breathing rate
b. New breathing rate = 3 * Old breathing rate
c. New breathing rate = 4 * Old breathing rate
d. New breathing rate = 9 * Old breathing rate
e. New breathing rate = 27 * Old breathing rate.