system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
How does the stomach know when to let the food through to the intestine?

Q1- What triggers the opening of the pyloric valve?

Q2- If you eat continuously over a long period of time. Does it wait until all the food is digested to the same level before opening?
gpt
There's also a mechanical factor to this - the food needs to be dissolved into small enough pieces to pass through the pyloric sphincter. Contractions in the smooth musculature surrounding the stomach continually work the larger pieces towards the top of the stomach while the smaller pieces pass through the sphincter.