Virtual Lab: Muscle Stimulation

Post-Lab Quiz and Lab Report

1. Please make sure you have read through all of the information in the

“Question” and “Information” areas. If you come upon terms that are

unfamiliar to you, please refer to your textbook for further explanation or

search the word here:

http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/features/dictionary/dictionaryhome.aspx

2. In this exercise, you will use an oscilloscope to examine the effect of varying

load (weight) on frog skeletal muscle action. To begin, click on the pull down

menu of the “Muscle” button to select the type of muscle you would first like

to test. Making sure that the oscilloscope is set to “0V”, click the “Apply

Stimulus” button. As you do so, pay close attention to the trace readout on the

screen; you are looking specifically for a spike in the straight line to be

produced. If no spike is observed, use the upward pointing arrow on the

oscilloscope to increase the voltage to the next highest level and then click

“Apply Stimulus”. Keep repeating this procedure until you observe the

production of a spike in the oscilloscope trace readout. At that point, note the

voltage in the “0g” load weight in your “Data Table” and/or in Table I below.

NOTE: If no spike is observed, be sure to click “Apply Stimulus” at least 3

times to make sure the muscle received the stimulus properly.

3. When you are through, you will then need to repeat the above steps using the

varying loads (weights). To do so, drag the 5g weight to the hook attached to

the frog muscle and then proceed as you did to test the muscle action in step 2
 above. When you are through testing the 5g weight, repeat these steps using

each of the four remaining loads.

4. When you are completely finished testing all variables for the muscle type

selected, you will need to repeat this procedure for ALL three remaining

muscle types. Remember, you can always click the “Reset” button to clear

your experiment and start fresh. Be sure to appropriately note all of your data

in the “Data Table” or Table I below.

5. Please finish this exercise by opening the “Journal” link at the bottom of the

page and answering the questions.

Table I: Threshold Stimulus (V)

Load Lower Upper Forelimb Calf Muscle Thigh Muscle

Forelimb Muscle
Muscle
0g 2.0 V 3.0 V 5.0 V 6.0 V
5g 3.0 V 4.0 V 5.5 V 6.5 V
10g 4.0 V 5.0 V 6.0 V 7.0 V
20g No spike 7.0 V 7.0 V 8.0 V
40g No spike No spike 8.0 V 9.0 V
80g No spike No spike No spike 10.0 V

Post-laboratory Questions:

1. Smooth muscle:
a. Is voluntary
b. Is found in the heart
c. Is found in lining the intestines
d. All of the above

2. Skeletal muscle:
a. Is involuntary
b. Is made up of muscle fibers
c. Is attached to bone via ligaments
d. All of the above
3. In skeletal muscle:
a. The greater the number of muscle fibers responding to a stimulus, the greater
the strength of the contraction
b. the fewer the number of muscle fibers responding to a stimulus, the greater the
strength of the contraction
c. the actual number of muscle fibers responding to a stimulus has no effect on the
strength of the contraction

4. An oscilloscope:
a. Provides stimulus to a tested muscle
b. Adds weight (load) to a tested muscle
c. Measures a twitch response of a tested muscle
d. A and C
e. All of the above

5. At the point of muscle overload:

a. Skeletal muscle contracts steadily (tetany)
b. Skeletal muscle contracts and relaxes repeatedly
c. Skeletal muscle does not contract at all

6. A skeletal muscle’s “threshold of stimulation”:

a. Is determined by the lowest voltage stimulus needed to elicit a muscle twitch
b. Varies with muscle type
c. Is not altered by the application of muscle load
d. B and C

7. In response to a stimulus, skeletal muscle fibers:

a. Always contract to 25% of their potential ability
b. Always contract to 50% of their potential ability
c. Always contract 100% of their potential ability
d. None of the above

8. Based upon your experimental data, which muscle type exhibited the lowest
threshold of stimulation in all conditions tested?
a. Lower forelimb muscle
b. Upper forelimb muscle
c. Calf muscle
d. Thigh muscle

9. Based upon your experimental data, which muscle type(s) did not reach the point
of muscle overload?
a. Lower forelimb muscle
b. Upper forelimb muscle
c. Calf muscle
d. Thigh muscle
10. Based upon your experimental data, which muscle tested appears most capable to
provide the contraction strength needed for a frog to jump?
a. Lower forelimb muscle
b. Upper forelimb muscle
c. Calf muscle
d. Thigh muscle