The automatic response of a muscle to a stimulus is called a reflex. The patellar reflex results from tapping the patellar tendon below the knee with a reflex hammer. This causes contraction of the quadriceps muscle and extension of the leg. Stretchi...

Spirometry is a valuable tool for analyzing the flow rate of air passing into and out of the lungs. Flow rates vary over the course of a respiratory cycle (a single inspiration followed by a single expiration) and are dependent upon a variety of fact...

Voluntary muscle contraction is the result of communication between the brain and individual muscle fibers of the musculoskeletal system. A thought is transformed into electrical impulses which travel down interneurons and motor neurons (in the spina...

An electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) is a graphical recording of the electrical events occurring within the heart. In a healthy heart there is a natural pacemaker in the right atrium (the sinoatrial node) which initiates an electrical sequence. This imp...

In this exercise, you will create a simple program using the Analog Express VI to collect data for a length of 0.1 second at a rate of 10,000 samples/second. This timing configuration results in 1001 data points. It is important to note how the data ...

How fast land and water heat and cool influences our weather. In Part I of this experiment, you will heat sand and water. You will use two Temperature Probes to see which heats faster. In Part II, you will allow warm sand and warm water to cool. This...

Color affects the absorption of radiant energy. You can use the results of this experiment to better dress for the season—to keep cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter....

When water passes through or over mineral deposits such as limestone, the levels of certain ions present in the water increase greatly and cause the water to be classified as hard water. This term results from the fact that calcium or magnesium ions ...

Does the position of your body affect your heart rate? In this experiment, you will use a Heart Rate Monitor to measure your heart rate while sitting, lying, and standing. You will then use your results to answer the question....

Heart rates increase during exercise. The heart rates of physically fit people increase less during exercise than those of less fit people. The heart rates of physically fit people recover to their resting rates more rapidly. In this experiment, you ...