BIOLOGY Standard level Friday, 08/01/2010

Practical #10

Heart Rate

Introduction:

Heart beat is a process initiated by a specialized region in the heart; this region is
known as the Sino-Atrial node (SA node, also known as the pacemaker of the heart),
and it is located in the wall of the right atrium (right upper part of the heart). The
reason why pacemaker initiates each contraction (i.e. heart beat) is because the heart
muscle tissue has the special property of contracting on its own, without being
stimulated by a nerve. Therefore, each time the pacemaker sends out a signal, the
heart carries out a contraction of beat.

In general, every time the heart beats, the following procedure occurs: the heart
relaxes so blood can flow into it, while the two upper chambers (atria) of the heart
contract, squeezing the blood into the two lower chambers (ventricles). Finally, the
two lower chambers contract and pump blood out. The right chamber pumps blood to
the lungs, whereas the left one pumps the blood to the rest of the body.
Heart rate is determined by the number of heartbeats per unit of time, typically
expressed as beats per minute (BPM), it can vary as the body’s need for oxygen
changes, such as during exercise or sleep. The measurement of heart rate is used by
medical professionals to assist in the diagnosis and tracking of medical conditions. It
is also used by individuals, such as athletes, who are interested in monitoring their
heart rate to gain maximum efficiency from their training.
Heart rate is measured by finding the pulse of the body. This pulse rate can be
measured at any point on the body where an artery's pulsation is transmitted to the
surface - often as it is compressed against an underlying structure like bone - by
pressuring it with the index and middle finger. It should be noted that the thumb
should not be used for measuring another person's heart rate.

1
BIOLOGY Standard level Friday, 08/01/2010
Practical #10

Aim:
This experiment’s goal is to investigate heart rate. By repeatedly measuring heart rate
after a period of resting, standing and exercising, the experiment aims to compare the
different values that will be recorded.

Hypothesis:
Theory suggests that physical exercise increases heart rate. This experiment aims to
test this hypothesis, by measuring the individual’s heart beat after hard exercising.

Materials:

• a clock
• flat comfortable shoes
• a chair, 43 cm high approximately

2
BIOLOGY Standard level Friday, 08/01/2010
Practical #10

Method:

Part 1:
The first part of the experiment investigates the heart rate while resting by palpating
the radial and the carotid pulse. In order to do so, fingertips (not thumbs) should be
placed over the radial artery in the ventrolateral region of the subject’s wrist. Then,
the exact number of pulses in exactly 30 seconds should be counted. To have the
number of heart beats per minute, the initial recording should be multiplied by 2. This
process should be repeated three times.
Concerning the carotid pulse, the thumb is placed on the side of the subject’s neck,
and the same procedure of counting and multiplying by 2 follows.

Part 2:
In the second part, either the radial or the carotid pulse should be measured. This part
of the experiment investigates the standing heart rate; therefore the subject should
stand up for one minute. Then, while the standing continues, the radial pulse is
measured again for three times, as previously.

Part 3:
The final part investigates exercise and its effect on heart rate. The goal of exercise is
to determine what cardiovascular adjustments take place during and after exercise.
Heart rate will be recorded before and immediately after exercising, as well as during
the recovery (while sitting). The measurements recorded immediately after exercise
illustrate what happens during exercise.

Initially, the radial pulse should be measured three times before the exercise. Then,
the exercise follows: the subject should step up onto a chair, 30 times per minute.
Each step (up and down) should take 2 seconds. The entire exercise should last for 2
minutes. Immediately after exercising is completed, the radial pulse should be
measured again. The measurements continue, in the same way the occurred
previously, at 30 second intervals thereafter for a total of two minutes. One 15 second
count should be made of the radial pulse at 4 and 6 minutes after completion of
exercise.

Results:

3
BIOLOGY Standard level Friday, 08/01/2010
Practical #10

Part 1: resting (sitting heart rate)

a) Radial pulse

Repeats Pulses in 30 sec. Pulses/min. Average number of

pulses
1st time 32 32 2=64
⋅
69
2nd time 35 35 2=70
⋅

3rd time 37 37 2=74

⋅

b) Carotid pulse

Repeats Pulses in 30 sec. Pulses/min. Average number of

pulses
1st time 33 33 2=66
⋅
71
2nd time 35 35 2=70
⋅

3rd time 39 37 2=78

⋅

Part 2: Standing heart rate

Radial pulse:

Repeats Pulses in 30 sec. Pulses/min. Average number of

pulses
1st time 41 41 2=82
⋅

2nd time 37 37 2=74

⋅ 75

3rd time 35 35 2=70

⋅

4
BIOLOGY Standard level Friday, 08/01/2010
Practical #10

Part 3: Exercise

a) Before exercise

Repeats: Radial Pulse 15 sec. Heart Rate (beats/min) Average

count
1st time: 18 72
71
2nd time: 19 76
3rd time: 16 64

b) Immediately after exercising

Repeats: Radial Pulse 15 sec. Heart Rate (beats/min) Average

count
1st time: 25 100
89
2nd time: 22 88
3rd time: 20 80

c) 30 seconds after exercising

Repeats: Radial Pulse 15 sec. Heart Rate (beats/min) Average

count
1st time: 22 88
86
2nd time: 21 84
3rd time: 22 88

d) 60 seconds after exercising

Repeats: Radial Pulse 15 sec. Heart Rate (beats/min) Average

count

5
BIOLOGY Standard level Friday, 08/01/2010
Practical #10

1st time: 19 76
78
2nd time: 20 80
3rd time: 20 80

e) 90 seconds after exercising

Repeats: Radial Pulse 15 sec. Heart Rate (beats/min) Average

count
1st time: 20 80
76
2nd time: 18 72
3rd time: 19 76

f) 120 seconds after exercising

Repeats: Radial Pulse 15 sec. Heart Rate (beats/min) Average

count
1st time: 19 76
73
2nd time: 19 72
3rd time: 18 72

g) 4 minutes after exercising

Repeats: Radial Pulse 15 sec. Heart Rate (beats/min) Average

count
1st time: 18 72
72
2nd time: 17 69
3rd time: 19 76

h) 6 minutes after exercising

Repeats: Radial Pulse 15 sec. Heart Rate (beats/min) Average

count
1st time: 18 72

6
BIOLOGY Standard level Friday, 08/01/2010
Practical #10

2nd time: 17 69 70
3rd time: 17 69

Graph (1): the effects of exercise on heart rate

7
BIOLOGY Standard level Friday, 08/01/2010
Practical #10

Conclusion:

As theory suggests, heart beats normally about 60 to 80 times a minute. However,

during hard exercise, where the body needs more oxygen, it can beat as many as 150
times.
The results confirmed these claims, since during exercise, heart rate increased
significantly. By starting with a normal average heart rate (71 beats/min.
approximately) before exercising, and continuing with an increased heart
rate of 89 beats/minute immediately after exercising, the results proved indeed
that physical activity can increase the frequency of heart beating and raise
heart rate. As time passed, heart rate returned slowly to its normal level (after
4 minutes it reached 72 beats/min., a regular frequency). Therefore, it can be
concluded that heart beating is extremely affected by physical activity and exercising.
However, heart rate can be affected by other factors too. For instance, in part 1, a
small difference in the average heart beats measured by the radial (69 beats/min.)
and the carotid pulse (71 beats/min.) was recorded.

The reason for this small difference is the location of the radial artery (radial pulse)
and the neck (carotid pulse). Since neck is closer to the centre of blood distribution,
that is the heart, it is therefore easier to get bigger amounts of blood; thus, blood is
flowing faster, in contrast with the radial artery, where the blood is flowing more
slowly.

Evaluation:

Generally, the experiment confirmed the original hypothesis, which stated that
physical exercise will increase the heart rate of the individual. The results provided a
clear demonstration of how the heart rate changes and recovers from the activity, after
some time passes. However, the experiment had some methodological limitations
which could have influenced the outcome of the results.

The basic limitation of the experiment is the method used in order to determine the
heart rate. Measuring the beating of heart by palpating the radial and carotid pulse can
be considered a quite uncertain method, since many mistakes can be made which will
eventually affect the final results. Therefore, it is suggested to use specialized

8
BIOLOGY Standard level Friday, 08/01/2010
Practical #10

equipment for this experiment, such as a simple heart monitor which is destined to
continuously observe heart rate.

Additionally, many mistakes could be made during each count, because of the clock.
Using a clock in this procedure is not recommended, since it may shorten or increase
the measuring time, if the experimenter is not very careful. Therefore, it is suggested
to use a chronometer, which is more objective and accurate in time measurements.

Finally, there are some factors which affect heart rate (such as temperature, previous
meals consumed – especially caffeine-, stress, the physical situation of each
individual, possible medication of the participant, etc.) which could not be easily
controlled during the experiment.