Activity 17 PS-2820 Physiology: Breathing, respiration rate Exercise and Respiration Rate DataStudio GLX setup file: respiration.glx Qty Equipment and Materials Part Number 1 PASPORT Xplorer GLX PS-2002 1 PASPORT Respiration Rate Sensor PS-2133 Purpose The purpose of the activity is to record respiration rate (breathing rate) before and after exercise. Background Respiration rate is the number of breaths taken each minute (a breath is one inhalation and one exhalation). Respiration rate depends on several factors: altitude, lung capacity, health, and level of activity. Higher altitudes and levels of activity would tend to increase respiration rate. Larger lung capacity and generally good health would tend to decrease respiration rate. The lungs are two football-sized spongy bags filled with millions of smaller recesses, where oxygen enters the blood and carbon dioxide leaves the blood. The lungs fill the chest cavity between the neck and the bottom of the rib cage. The lungs contain no muscles and are not able to expand and contract on their own. The size of the lungs is controlled by a sheet of muscles called the diaphragm that forms the floor of the chest cavity and the intercostal located between pairs of ribs. When inhaling, the diaphragm contracts and drops down. The ribs expand outward, making the chest cavity larger. This causes the pressure in the cavity to decrease, resulting in air being drawn into the lungs which causes them to expand. During exhalation, the diaphragm relaxes and moves up, and the ribs settle down. The cavity is made smaller, causing the pressure to increase and results in the lungs contracting and forcing carbon dioxide-laden air out of the lungs. Therefore, breathing air in and out is simply a mechanical process related to pressure changes caused by the increase and decrease of the chest cavity size. The lungs have two ways to increase oxygen intake in response to a changing demand during exercise. One is to breathe faster (respiratory rate) and the other is to breathe deeper (volume). Pre-lab Questions Measure the rate of breathing before, during, and after exercise. Compare the respiration rate before exercise to the respiration rate after exercise and to the respiration rate during a recovery period after exercise. 1. How will respiration rate change with exercise? 2. How will the respiration rate before, during, and after exercise for females compare to the respiration rate before, during, and after exercise for males? Biology with Xplorer GLX 2005 PASCO p. 111
Safety Precautions Follow all directions for using the equipment. This activity requires the person whose respiration rate is being measured to perform exercise (e.g., jogging in place for two minutes). Do NOT perform this activity if vigorous exercise will cause discomfort or difficulty in breathing. Procedure GLX Setup 1. The PASPORT Respiration Rate Sensor has two parts a Relative Pressure Sensor and the Respiration Rate Belt. Connect the sensor part to the top of the GLX. The Graph Screen will automatically open with Relative Pressure (kpa) versus Time (s). 2. Open the GLX setup file labeled respiration.glx (see the appendix at the end of this activity). The file is set so the Relative Pressure Sensor records data at 10 measurements per second. Equipment Setup Figure 1: Respiration Rate Sensor Figure 2: Connect sensor to GLX The Respiration Rate Belt is a wide nylon belt that can be wrapped around a person s chest region. The rubber bladder inside the belt has two rubber tubes. One tube has an attached squeeze bulb for inflating the belt. The squeeze bulb has a thumbscrew valve to allow air in the bladder to be released. The other tube connects to the quick-release connector on the end of the Relative Pressure Sensor. The section of the Respiration Rate Belt that contains the rubber bladder has a rectangular piece of pile material attached to one side. The other end of the nylon belt has strips of hook material attached to one side. The hook and pile materials can be used to fasten the sensor in place when it is wrapped around a person s chest or abdomen. 3. Place the belt of the Respiration Rate Sensor around the chest of the person whose breathing rate is going to be measured. Arrange the belt so that the rubber bladder is in front. Use the hook and pile materials on the ends of the belt to fasten it snugly in place. This end first This end second To sensor Biology with Xplorer GLX 2005 PASCO p. 112
4. Connect the end of the tube that comes from the rubber bladder to the quick-release connector on the end of the Relative Pressure Sensor. 5. Close the thumbscrew valve (turn it clockwise) on the squeeze bulb of the Respiration Rate Belt. Use the squeeze bulb to inflate the rubber bladder (between ten and twenty squeezes ). The belt should be tight but not uncomfortable. Record Data There are three parts to data recording Measure the resting respiration rate. Measure respiration rate during exercise. Measure respiration rate after exercise. The person who is being measured should sit or stand comfortably. The person will need to breath normally. The person who is being measured should NOT look at the data as it is recorded. Record Data Before, During, and After Exercise This activity is easier to do if one person is in charge of recording data on the GLX and keeping track of time while another person is being measured. 1. Press the Start key on the GLX to start recording data. Remind the person who is being measured to breath normally but NOT look at the data as it is recorded. 2. After sixty seconds, stop data recording. 3. Start recording data again, but have the person who is being measured exercise by jogging in place for one minue. 4. After sixty seconds of exercise, stop data recording. 5. Have the person sit down to relax or stand very still. Start recording data again. Remind the person who is being measured to breath as normally as possible and NOT look at the data as it is recorded. 6. After sixty seconds, stop data recording. Release the pressure in the Respiration Rate Belt and remove the belt. Analysis 1. Use the data displayed in the Graph Screen to determine the respiration rate for each run of data. In the Graph Screen, count the number of peaks in the Relative Pressure versus Time plot for sixty seconds. This is the respiration rate (number of breaths per minute). 2. Record the respiration rate for each run of data in the Data Table. Figure 3: Connect tube to sensor Biology with Xplorer GLX 2005 PASCO p. 113
3. Determine your respiration rate before, during, and after exercise. 4. Determine whether there are differences between females and males in respiration rate before, during, and after exercise. Record your results in the Lab Report section. -------- Appendix: To open a specific GLX file, go to the home screen (press ). In the home screen, select Data Files and press Activate ( ). Use the cursor keys to navigate to the file you want. Press F1 ( ) to open the file. Biology with Xplorer GLX 2005 PASCO p. 114
Lab Report - Activity 17: Respiration Rate Name Date Pre-lab Questions Measure the rate of breathing before, during, and after exercise. Compare the respiration rate before exercise to the respiration rate after exercise and to the respiration rate during a recovery period after exercise. 1. How will respiration rate change with exercise? 2. How will the respiration rate before, during, and after exercise for females compare to the respiration rate before, during, and after exercise for males? Data Make a sketch of one run of Relative Pressure versus Time, including labels for the y- and x- axes. Data Table Data Run Run #1: resting Run #2: exercise Run #3: recovery Respiration Rate Biology with Xplorer GLX 2005 PASCO p. 115
Questions 1. How does the respiration rate for exercise compare to the respiration rate for resting? 2. How does the respiration rate for recovery change over time? 3. How did the respiration rate before, during, and after exercise for females compare to the respiration rate before, during, and after exercise for males? 4. In general, how did the respiration rate change for persons who are physically active compare to the respiration rate change for persons who have a more sedentary lifestyle? Biology with Xplorer GLX 2005 PASCO p. 116