INVESTIGATION --MUSCLE FATIGUE We become aware of the

Last updated: 7/26/2022

INVESTIGATION --MUSCLE FATIGUE We become aware of the limitation to using our muscles as they tire during strenuous or repetitive work. Perhaps our muscles shake as we try to do one more push-up. Or maybe we find we just can't run any further so we stop to catch our breath. It's a sudden change that we seem to do involuntarily. Our muscle cells continue to produce ATP to move, only the way we make it changes. Try this simple investigation to explore this further. INVESTIGATION: MUSCLE FATIGUE Materials Needed: 0 a clothespin a timer ● Procedure: 1. Hold a clothes pin in the thumb and index finger of your dominant hand. Open and open it all the way and close it as fast as possible in 30 seconds while the other fingers of the hand are held in a neutral position. Attempt to squeeze quickly and completely, to get the maximum number of squeezes for each trial. 4 If possible, have a partner record the number so you can continue without resting. 2. Repeat this process for nine more 30 second trials recording the result for each trial. Do not rest your fingers between trials. 3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 for the non-dominant hand. Record all data in a table. You may find it useful to also graph the results for both hands on one graph in order to better interpret your results. Interpretation & Analysis: Use quantitative and qualitative results to answer one of the following questions. What happened to your energy & ability to pinch the clothespin as you progressed through each trial? Why? 1 . 2. What might cause one to be able to get more squeezes, in other words, to have less fatigue? Explain in terms of biological concepts. 3 Suggest how the amount of ATP produced cause your muscle cells to be less efficient. When did this change in the amount of ATP produced occur in this investigation? How could you tell? Your muscles would probably recover enough after 10 minutes to operate at the original efficiency. Explain why. ●