6.5.1 Muscle Stimulation Lab

1. Based on the results of your investigation, what conclusions can you draw about the relationship between a muscle's workload and its threshold of stimulation?

The conclusions I was able to determine about the muscle’s workload and its threshold of stimulation was that the threshold stimulus will increase by one when the workload doubles. The muscles can hold a higher workload if they originally have a higher threshold of stimulation with no workload at all.

2. Why would a muscle's threshold of stimulation change as its Workload changes?

A muscle’s threshold of stimulation changes as its workload changes because the muscle needs more stimulation and more power to contract.

3. Which muscles were able to contract under the greatest loads? What does this suggest about the role these muscles play in frog movement?

The thigh and calf were the muscles that were able to contract under the greatest loads. This suggests that these muscles help the frog the most when jumping. They are able to hold the weight of the whole frog as it prepares to jump.

4. Describe an experiment you might perform to determine which leg muscles of a frog are important for jumping long distances.

An experiment would be to find a live frog and observe their jumping to see which muscles are being used for jumping. The frog should not be harmed in this experiment, it will only be observed. The jumping can be recorded by video and can be replayed in slow motion to carefully see which muscles are being used.

5. What are some advantages of performing this experiment in a simulated environment?

Some advantages of performing this experiment in a simulated environment are that, first and foremost, no animals are being hurt or inured. In addition, we are still getting correct observations and we can see each muscle clearly.