This lab has to do with muscle contractions and how fatigue and temperature can effect them. The skeletal muscles are a complex system of coordinated reflexes, constrictions, and neurological impulses. It is something that I take for granted but this lab made me think differently.
MATERIALS:
dishpan of water
narrow strip of paper which will fit around upper arm
ice or snow ( I used ice)
rubber ball & clothespin
timer (stop watch)
Fist Clenching
The above picture is me squeezing the ball.
Temperature # of times
Normal 51
Cold 28
The cold temperature of the water caused my hand to stiffen and almost feel numb. It caused my hand to discolor to a really red color. Goodness I did not do well with the cold water.
Stinkin Freezing
Repetitive Muscle Actions
# of Apts___# of secs___# of sqs ball___# of sqs clothes pin
1______________ 20__________49_____________44
2______________ 40__________47_____________44
3______________ 60__________47_____________43
4______________ 80__________46_____________42
5______________ 100_________46_____________42
6______________ 120_________44_____________42
7______________ 140_________42_____________ 41
8______________ 160_________42_____________ 39
9______________ 180_________41_____________ 38
**KEY**
# of apts: number of attempts
# of sqs balls: number of squeezes of ball
# of sqs clothes pins: number of squeezes of clothes pin
While I was doing this test of repetitive muscles reactions my arm began to get sore. I thought that it would tense up in the bicep area but also in my forearm as well. Even my fingers were tired. It seemed to warm up a bit as well.
Another portion of the lab is the part that asks us to place our fingers on our jaw line and see what happens. Place two fingers on the jaw just a bit from the ear and grit your teeth together. When the teeth are not clenched tight the muscle feels normal but when the teeth are gritted together BAM…the muscle pops out. So after doing his part of the lab I went and ate dinner. I felt the same muscles in that area and noticed that it does that every time I chew.
The paper strip that was put around my arm was interesting. I did not have much change in my circumferences though.
Relaxed it was about 15.25 inches
Squeezing my fist it was 15.50 inches
Flexing my Popeye muscle it was about 16 inches
Me flexing! GRRR!
The picture below is of the strip with the measurements of the initial circumference, then after squeezing fist and then flexing.
Okay, so in the picture below you can see me measuring with my thumb and pinkie. The muscle in my arm seemed to be relaxed when the arm was stretched out straight. But once I flexed my muscle it popped up slightly and the muscle was not as stretched out as far.
Before
After
Muscle fibers contain small bundles of contractile filaments. The thick filaments of two proteins myosin and actin. Calcium is released and it stimulates the myosin molecules to the actin molecules and in turn these two work together to cause muscle constriction to take place and then ATP steps in and provides the necessary energy to make it all happen. Nerve impulses are generated in the muscle cells. When the temperature is lowered it inhibits the muscles to properly move at the same speed as they normally would and blood flow is reduced. When the muscles are repetitively used they have a tendency to tire out but with regular exercise they can build endurance which would enable to muscles go for longer.
I was actually surprised at how the water temperature effected my muscles mobility. I would not have thought it would have had such an impact on my endurance levels and abilities.
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