Chris Lewis

Muscle System Lab Report

1. Write a paragraph listing the steps in muscle contractions

2. Use google draw to draw an arrangement of filaments in the microfibers before and after
contract Insert your before and after photos with text box
2.3 magnification

A group of muscle cells are bundled together by collagen to form a fascicle. Since muscle cells
are elongated and cylindrical, each muscle cell is usually called a muscle fiber. In skeletal muscle,
the muscle fibers are very large, multinucleated, and up to several millimeters in length. Looking at
one muscle fiber, you will see that almost the entire cross section of the muscle fiber is taken up
by long, cylindrical strands of contractile proteins called myofibrils. Typically there are hundreds of
these in one cross section of a muscle fiber. Looking at one myofibril, we see that it is divided into
segments called sarcomeres.
T able1. Rabbit Muscle Lab Charts
Myofibe r Le ngth
(%change )

Length of Myofibers
before AT P solution

After AT P solution

Initial-Contracted = change
mm
mm
in length

(% contracted) %
of cont. / initial
length = %

T rial 1

19mm

12mm

7 mm

37%

T rial 2

15

12

20%

T rial 3

22

15

32%

T rial 4

18

11

37%

T rial 5

13

38%

Before AT P

After AT P

Degree of Diameter change

% Diameter change

T rial 1

14

-7

100%

T rial 2

-4

-133%

T rial 3

-2

-50%

T rial 4

T rial 5

Chris Lewis

Picture2-3:
Left
:Rabbit muscle before ATP solution.
Right
: Rabbit Muscle
after ATP solution
Muscle Grip Fatigue Lab

Table 1

Continuous Grip
Time interval

Maximum force (N)

10 s

297.4

20

30 s

208.1

40

50 s

179.0

60

70 s

200.2

80

90 s

158.8

Maximum force (N)

Table 2

Repetitive Grip
Time interval

Maximum force (N)

10 s

367.9

20

30 s

319.1

40

50 s

341.0

60

70 s

467.8

80

90 s

543.8

Fiber diameter

Maximum force (N)

Chris Lewis

Force
(lowest,intermediate,greatest)
Myosin ATPase
(slowest,fastest)
Contraction Velocity
(slow,fast)
Methods of ATP generation
(glycolisis, aerobic
respiration)