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Name: _______________________ 1
Homeroom: ________
Blood Pressure Lab
Question:
Does exercise affect my blood pressure?
Background:
Your heart is a pump. As it contracts, it pushes blood
through your arteries. When blood is pumped out of the heart it is
forced out under pressure. You can feel this wave of blood when you
check your pulse. Your pulse tells you how fast your heart is beating. It
is also an indication of how hard your heart is working.
In order for blood to reach your hands and feet, it must be
pumped out of the heart under great pressure. You can measure that
pressure using a blood pressure cuff or sphygmomanometer. When you
give a blood pressure reading, you use two numbers, such as 120 over
80. The two numbers show the blood pressure at two different stages of
your heart’s pumping cycle:
 Systolic pressure – when the heart pumps, blood pressure rises
sharply. High blood pressure reading.
 Diastolic pressure – when the heart is relaxed and blood pressure
is at it’s lowest.
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Hypothesis:
If_________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________then__________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
Safety:
List 2 safety rules for this lab:
1.
2.
Variables:
 Manipulated Variable:
 Responding Variable:
 Control Variables:
Materials:
 Blood pressure cuff
 Partner
 Stairs or hallway
Procedure:
1. Watch the demo done by your
teacher on how to use a blood
pressure cuff.
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Name: _______________________ 3
Homeroom: ________
2. Measure your blood pressure while resting at your desk, record it
and your pulse in your chart.
3. Do five minutes of exercise (running on the spot, push ups, walk
the stairs, etc). Measure your blood pressure and record it in your
chart.
4. Rest for five minutes then record your blood pressure. Record this
in your chart.
5. Repeat with your partners. Each person should have their
partners data in their chart.
Observations:
Partner 1:
Blood
pressure
BP
Partner 2:
Pulse BP
Partner 3:
Pulse BP
Average:
Pulse BP
At rest
before
exercise
Right after
5 min.
exercise
At rest 5
min. after
exercise
Conclusion:
1. How did exercise affect your heart rate (pulse) and blood
pressure?
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Pulse
2. What happened to your heart rate and blood pressure when you
rested for 5 minutes after exercise?
3. Looking at the table on page 1, did your blood pressure fall into
the normal category?
4. Regular exercise increases circulation and increases the health of
the heart. As a result, the heart muscle works more efficiently.
Predict how regular exercise would affect blood pressure.
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