Download Pulse and Breathing Rate Lab

Name ________________________
Pulse & Breathing Rate Lab
I.
Introduction
Your cardiovascular system is dependent upon the relationship it has with the respiratory system.
You can hardly mention one without discussing the other. Under normal circumstances, a
mammal’s brain automatically monitors various gas pressures in the blood and signals muscles in
the chest to contract and cause breathing. The red blood cell can carry oxygen on a protein chain
attached to an iron group called hemoglobin. There is a capacity to have 4 oxygen molecules
bind per hemoglobin and there are 280 hemoglobin per red blood cell! (WOW!) Multiply that by
25 trillion red blood cells and you have a humongous number! All of this oxygen is being
delivered to the cells to make energy in the form of ATP through cellular respiration
II.
Purpose: to discover why exercise affects your heart and respiratory rate
III.
Materials
-Groups of three
-Bags
IV.
-Stopwatch
-Paper
Procedure
1. Decide on a group of three. Assign jobs: recorder, timer, and “lab rat.” You will be
performing the following activities for approximately two minutes.
a. Sitting position
b. Walking
c. Running hard in place
d. Jumping jacks, fast
e. Steps, fast
f. Breathing into a paper bag
**Immediately following the activity:
1. Record how long you can hold your breath.
2. Record your pulse for one minute (BPM).
3. Record your breathing rate for one minute (RPM).
2. Record data in the data table on the back of the lab. **It is important to collect your BPM
and RPM at the same time!!! Your partner (recorder) can count your breaths while you count
your pulse and while the timer watches the clock.
3. Switch jobs until everyone has collected data on themselves.
V.
Data: Record your own data on this page!!!
Pulse and Breathing Rate After Various Activities
Holding time (sec)
Heart Rate (bpm)
Breathing Rate (rpm)
Sitting
Walking
Running
Jumping Jacks
Steps
Bag
VI.
Conclusion: Answer on a separate page and staple to this sheet.
1. In a paragraph, explain what your data chart shows AND provide a reason why it shows this.
2. How does exercise affect the relative levels of O2 and CO2 in your blood?
3. Nicotine from smoking constricts blood vessels and damages alveoli. How would it effect
your data?
4. Which gas regulates respiration rate?
5. Why does your skin become flushed after heavy exercise?
6. If blood leaving the heart is rich in oxygen, hat is blood entering the heart rich in and where
did it come from specifically?
7. Did your body temperature rise as your pulse and breathing rate rose? Why?
8. What happened when you breathed into a bag? Why can this be called asphyxiation? Can you
harm yourself this way? Explain.