Heartbeat of transportation
New ideas for labs?
Read the following:
We did papers about efficiency of transportation. Many looked at data including how many calories are burned when walking, skating, running, and cycling. This data was determined experimentally but how?
It turn out that carbon bonds in food (carbohydrates, protein, and fats) contain the energy that we use. The amount of energy in food is often measured in Calories. We eat or drink all of these and water. Our bodies are also made up of these and water so it is difficult to measure exactly how much of each of these are used in a particular exercise.
But to use the calories in food we have to burn it with Oxygen that we breathe. It is easier for scientists to measure the amount of Oxygen consumed than to measure the amount of calories burned. For every carbon atom that is burned 2 oxygen atoms are needed. They combine to form carbon dioxide.
Because there is a correlation between the amount of Oxygen used and the amount of calories burned scientists can calculate the amount of calories if they know how much oxygen is used. They may need bottles of oxygen, oxygen or carbon dioxide sensors, and tread mills or stationary bicycles like you might see on Gatorade commercials.
We thought it would be cool if we could do experiments like this in our class or outside on the playground but we would need some fancy equipment. University exercise physiology (sports science) labs have this kind of equipment but they are too expensive for most public high schools to afford.
Assignment: Brainstorm with a partner in class to answer the following questions.
Write down any answers you can think of. This will be followed by a discussion in class. Grades based on participation.
So is there any other way to measure how much energy we use without all that fancy equipment?
By correlation can we measure how much oxygen we use?
Burning calories also produces carbon dioxide and water; so is there a way to measure how much water or carbon dioxide we breathe out?
Our bodies have a complex and rhythmic way of obtaining and distributing oxygen to our muscles. When we exercise these processes have to speed up. Could this be used to measure energy used in exercise?
Follow up questions.
Thinking about doing several forms of transportation. Walking, jogging, running, skating, cycling.
Should we have the same person do all of these things? Why or why not?
Distance: around the school, how do we measure this distance? In miles, meters, or kilometers?
How do we time duration?
Will we measure pulse or rate of breathing? Are they both involuntary? Can you control the rate of either?
Guidlines
Lab Report: Heartbeat and transportation
In preparation for the lab and the following lab report answer all of the questions below.
Most of them should also be answered in a good lab report.
The lab report should be at least 7 paragraphs long; At least one paragraph for each section below.
This is the first lab report of the semester. It is due one week after the experiment is finished. I will only grade the final version but if you want me to look at an earlier version and make suggestions I would be glad to take them a couple of days earlier. This is highly recommended.
Come see me if you have any questions!
Observation: Why were we interested in the topic? 10pts
Talk about different forms of muscle powered transportation and how food calories are the source of energy. Some forms of transportation are faster and some use more energy. Which are the most efficient? Which can take us the farthest on the least amount of energy?
Hypothesis: This should be a statement that can be tested by experimentation. 10pts
Of all the forms of transportation discussed, which do you think will be the most efficient and which the least efficient? Can you rank them from most to least efficient?
By what percent do you think the efficiency will vary?
Experiment: How will the experiment be conducted? What data was collected? 40pts
Design the experiment before hand. On the day of the experiment you will add more details to this section as well as data.
The experimental section should all the details necessary for someone else to repeat your experiment.
How will you measure efficiency? Talk about counting heartbeats, how this is used to carry oxygen to the muscles where it is burned with fuel (carbohydrates, fat, protein) to release energy used to move the body for transportation. So if we measure the increase in heartbeats, there should be a correlation to the amount of calories being burned.
What materials are used?
Bicycle, skates, shoes, track, Pictures are worth a thousand words. You can draw a picture too.
What was the control group?
What was the variables?
Where there any other variables you can think of?
How will we measure distance and time around the school?
How will we calculate speed?
How long after the exercise when you measure the heartrate?
How you will measure heart rate? (for how long?, Who will measure it? Will someone else time it?
How will we collect data and organize it?
Results:Data and experimental observations: 10pts
Include any observations that you made when we did the experiment in class. You could add the age, weight, BMI and fitness level of the subjects. Data should include:
-
the distance around track (school)
-
resting heart rate of each test subject
-
time required to go around the track
-
exercise
-
heart rate at end of the exercise
Would pictures help here?
Analysis: This should include any charts or graphs of the data and interpretations of the graphs. 10pts
How could you present your data? Could you graph it? What kind of graph?
Conclusions: Was your hypothesis supported by the data or not? 10pts
According to the data, rank the forms of transportation from most to least efficient. Compared to the resting heart rate, what were the heart rates after each of the exercises?
Compared to walking, which is most efficient.
How does this data compare to data available from other sources, such as those measured by sports scientists?
Repeat: 10pts
What could be gained by repeating the experiment?
Would you have more confidence in your results if it were repeated?
If you were to repeat it again would you do anything differently?
