In a muscle experiment, the optimal length of an isolated frog gastrocnemius muscle was not known. To resolve the problem, the length of stretch of the muscle was varied five times in increments of 2 mm. With each stretch, a stimulation was applied to the sciatic so as to produce a muscle twitch. Figure I depicts results from the experiment. Table I is an incomplete table that depicts different types of tensions from the muscle experiment.
Figure I. Effects of stretch on skeletal muscle tension.
Table 1. Total, passive and active tensions of skeletal muscles:
Stretch (mm) | Tt (mN) | Tp (mN) | Ta (mN)
0
2
4
6
8
10
13. Fill in Table 1 based on figure I.
14. Calculate the relative tension at 6 mm stretch.
15. Calculate the relative tension at 10 mm stretch.
16. What information does the relative tension measurements convey?
17. Based on Figure I, at what length (in mm) of stretch is the skeletal muscle at its optimal length?