controls the flow of blood from the left ventricle to the aorta, the largest artery in the body. The sequence of photographs below was taken inside a heart removed from a dead person. It shows how the flaps of the aortic valve open to let out blood as the powerful left ventricle contracts. The structure of the valve prevents blood from flowing back into the ventricle.

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THE ROBINSON LIBRARY
Science.--Physiology.--Circulatory System.

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