Anatomy and physiology labs

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Introduction to ScienceExperiment 3 Muscle Fatigue Experiment Inventory

Materials Rubber Band

*Stopwatch

Note: You must provide the materials listed in *red.

© eScience Labs, 2016

EXPERIMENT 3: MUSCLE FATIGUE

Muscle contractions are essential for proper muscle function. The inability of a muscle to maintain tension is muscle fatigue. Fail ure to contract may occur because of the accumulation of lactic acid, a lack of ATP, or decreased blood flow. In this exercise, you will investigate the correlation between repeated movements and muscle fatigue.

Note If you suffer from a medical condition that does not permit you to perform this activity, please ask a partner to volunteer for you.

PROCEDURE

1. Hypothesize how many times you can stretch a rubber band between your thumb and pinky finger in 20 seconds. Record

your prediction under Trial 1 in Table 1.

2. Using your dominant hand, count the number of times you can completely stretch a rubber band between your thumb and

pinky finger in 20 seconds. Be sure to stretch the rubber band as far as possible each time.

3. Record your count under Trial 1 in Table 1.

4. Repeat steps 1 – 3 four more times. Do not take a break in between trials!

Data SheetExperiment 3 Data Sheet Table 1: Experimental Counts

© eScience Labs, 2016

Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Trial 4 Trial 5 Predicted Value

Actual Value