Step 1: Begin by understanding the general flow of blood in the circulatory system. Blood is pumped from the heart into arteries, which are large blood vessels that carry oxygen-rich blood away from the heart.
Step 2: Recognize that arteries branch into smaller vessels called arterioles. Arterioles are responsible for directing blood flow into even smaller vessels called capillaries.
Step 3: Capillaries are the site of gas exchange, where oxygen is delivered to tissues and carbon dioxide is collected. These are the smallest blood vessels and connect the arterial system to the venous system.
Step 4: After passing through capillaries, blood flows into venules, which are small vessels that collect deoxygenated blood from capillaries and begin the return journey to the heart.
Step 5: Finally, venules merge into larger vessels called veins, which carry deoxygenated blood back to the heart to be reoxygenated in the lungs.