Larynx/Trachea
The division of the food and the air happens near the larynx, also called the voice box. It is another passageway, which leads to the lungs and carries only air, as opposed to the pharynx. It is made mostly of cartilage. One of the major functions of the larynx is to produce voice, which is done by the vocal chords located about in the middle of the neck. The vibrations that are made by the air passing through them create sound. Later, the soft palate, tongue, and lips modify the sound to create speech. The other major function of the larynx is to prevent food from passing into the trachea, the final passage to the lungs. A small ledge made out of cartilage called the epiglottis separates the food tube from the air tube. Whenever you swallow, the epiglottis closes over the larynx to prevent food from entering. This is why when you talk and chew at the same time, you can choke. Choking is when food or liquid enters the air tube.
The trachea, or the windpipe, is the last section of the passageway that leads to the lungs. It is made out of elastic cartilage, since it needs to bend if the neck bends. On the inside it is partially smooth muscle, but it is also lined with cilia that beats out any possible dust pathogens that were overlooked in the nasal cavity and all stages previous. The trachea finally cleans the air before it enters the lungs for the final stages of the respiratory cycle.
The trachea, or the windpipe, is the last section of the passageway that leads to the lungs. It is made out of elastic cartilage, since it needs to bend if the neck bends. On the inside it is partially smooth muscle, but it is also lined with cilia that beats out any possible dust pathogens that were overlooked in the nasal cavity and all stages previous. The trachea finally cleans the air before it enters the lungs for the final stages of the respiratory cycle.