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
An electrocardiogram is one method which can be used to monitor heart rate in bpm
