Investigating the relationship between exercise and pulse rate

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Investigating the relationship between exercise

and pulse rate

Hypothesis

Exercise has a direct impact on pulse rate. Pulse rate will increase as the exercise gets more energetic.

Introduction

When the heart contracts a surge of blood flows into the aorta and the pulmonary artery under pressure. The volume of blood pumped out from each ventricle is referred to as the stroke volume. The total volume pumped out per minute is the cardiac output. The surge of blood distends arteries as the walls of arteries contain elastic tissue. The stretch and subsequent recoil of the aorta and arteries travel as waves through the body. This is the pulse. The pulse is measured at the wrist where the radial artery passes over a bone, or at the carotid artery at the neck, so this is where it can be felt most. To measure the pulse, count each ‘beat’ for 30 seconds while person is sitting, and doubled to give resting pulse rate in beats per min (bpm).

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At rest, cardiac output is about 5dm3 of blood per minute.

During exercise, the heart rate increases, producing a quicker supply of deoxygenated blood to the lungs and oxygenated blood to the heart. This is because the muscles that are being used during exercise require oxygen to carry out respiration. To carry our aerobic respiration the muscles need a continuous supply of oxygen that diffuses from oxygenated blood running through nearby arteries and capillaries. When breathing, air moves into the lungs, and oxygen from the air diffuses into the arteries down a concentration gradient, and this is carried ...

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