Final answer:
The contraction of the diaphragm and other respiratory muscles helps to create a pressure difference, allowing air to flow into the lungs when we breathe in.
Step-by-step explanation:
The contraction of the diaphragm plays a crucial role in facilitating air flow into our lungs when we breathe in.
When the diaphragm contracts, it expands the thoracic cavity, creating a lower pressure than the outside atmosphere. This pressure difference causes air to be drawn into the lungs.
Other respiratory muscles, such as the external intercostal muscles and the scalene muscles, also assist in expanding the thoracic cavity, aiding in the inhalation process.
Learn more about Mechanism of breathing