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)
Measuring pulse diagram
Pulse can be detected where an artery passes over a bone, such as the radial artery (in the wrist) and the carotid artery (in the neck)
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A stethoscope can be used to listen for heartbeats in order to calculate pulse rate
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Many wearable devices, such as this fitness watch, can record pulse rate
- To investigate the effects of exercise on heart rate, record the pulse rate at rest for a minute
- Immediately after 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