Question

Mechanical digestion, the process of breaking down large chunks of food into smaller pieces, is important because smaller pieces of food ________. mechanical digestion, the process of breaking down large chunks of food into smaller pieces, is important because smaller pieces of food ________. are more easily stored in the stomach than are larger pieces of food are easier to excrete than are larger pieces of food do not taste as good as larger pieces of food have more surface area for chemical digestion than do larger pieces of food

Answer 1

It is important because smaller pieces of food have more surface area for chemical digestion than larger pieces of food do. Mechanical digestion begins in the mouth as the food is chewed, it is the physical breaking down the food by non-chemical means. In the mouth the specialized teeth break down the food as it is cut by the incisors, torn by the cuspids and ground by the molars. The food is then manipulated in the mouth by the tongue, and cheeks to mix and moisten the food forming a bolus or ball which is pushed to the back of the tongue, then swallowing takes place. 

Answer 2

This is because smaller pieces will have more surface area for chemical digestion than larger piece of food.

Foods are digested by a combination of two methods (mechanical and chemical. In mechanical digestion it brokes down physically the food into smaller pieces via chewing, churning and segmentation done in the intestine. In the mouth through mastication food is initially broken. In the stomach, the muscles in its walls squeeze and mix the food with digestive juices. In segmentation, contraction and relaxation of segments occur in the intestines.