Heart Beat Health
Investigate the difference in students' heart rates before and after mild exercise.
PASPORT Exercise Heart Rate Sensor (PS-2129)
Lab Summary
Investigate the difference in their heart rate before and after mild exercise.
All types of exercise involve muscle movement,from aerobic sports like running to strength-building sports like weight training. As muscles move during exercise, the rest of the body's systems work together to meet the demands of the muscles, which are trying to generate energy, dispose of waste products and dissipate heat in order to keep functioning. Working muscles require oxygen in order to generate energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). The more strenuous the exercise, the more ATP is required. As exercise intensity increases, the cardiac muscle of the heart must work harder to pump oxygenated blood to all muscles. To get the most out of exercise, to become more fit, or to develop world-class ability in a sport, muscles need to have their oxygen requirements met in the most efficient manner possible. The more effectively the circulatory and respiratory systems work together, the more efficiently oxygen will be delivered to the muscles.
When it comes to the heart, regular exercise results in both an increase in stroke volume (a larger heart) and a decrease in the resting heart rate. Because there is a limit to the maximum heart rate, the difference between the resting heart rate and the exercising heart rate of a trained athlete will be greater than for an average individual. A greater increase in heart rate during exercise, along with larger stroke volume, increases an athletes cardiac output. More oxygenated blood flows efficiently to the athletes working muscles. Measuring the difference between the resting heart rate and the heart rate during exercise can give a relative indication of overall fitness level.
The PASPORT Exercise Heart Rate Sensor measures a subject's heart rate before, during and after physical activity based on electrical signals generated by cardiac muscle. A belt worn around the ribcage houses a wireless transmitter. The voltage output from the receiver allows DataStudio software to produce the heart rate graph.
Hypothesize: What is your average heart rate at rest? How quickly will it increase, and how high will it get as you perform mild exercise? How quickly does your heart recover after exercise ends?
Published: May 2003
Downloads
- Heart Beat Health (11 KB, .zip)
Includes experiment setup and procedures
Here's What You Need
U.S. Educator prices shown.
Probeware (PASPORT Systems)
Xplorer GLX (PS-2002) - $349
The Xplorer GLX is a data collection, graphing, and analysis tool designed for science students and educators.
PASPORT Exercise Heart Rate Sensor (PS-2129A) - $125
Measures the electrical signals from the cardiac muscle, allowing the heart to be measured even during exercise. For use with PASPORT Interfaces.
Other Materials
- Optional: exercise equipment such as hand weights, jump rope, etc.
