Monitoring Activity of the Heart (Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE Biology)

Monitoring Activity of the Heart

• Heart activity can be monitored by using an ECG, measuring pulse rate or listening to the sounds of valves closing using a stethoscope

• Heart rate (and pulse rate) is measured in beats per minute (bpm)

• To investigate the effects of exercise on heart rate, record the pulse rate at rest for a minute

• Immediately after they do some exercise, record the pulse rate every minute until it returns to the resting rate

• This experiment will show that during exercise the heart rate increases and may take several minutes to return to normal