Final answer:
The right side of the heart sends blood to the lungs for oxygenation, while the left side sends oxygenated blood to the body. The left ventricle's muscle is thicker than the right's due to the greater pressure needed to pump blood through the systemic circuit.
Step-by-step explanation:
The only difference between the right and the left heart is in their roles within the circulatory system. The right side of the heart sends blood to the lungs to be oxygenated in the pulmonary circuit, whereas the left side of the heart sends oxygenated blood to the rest of the body in the systemic circuit.
In addition, the heart muscle is asymmetrical, which means the left side is larger than the right side. This is because the left side needs to send blood out to the entire body, overcoming greater resistance in the systemic circuit compared to the right side, which sends blood to the shorter pulmonary circuit. Therefore, the muscle of the left ventricle is significantly thicker than that of the right ventricle to generate a greater amount of pressure required for the systemic circuit.