Neural Transmission

The questions below are due on Thursday February 13, 2025; 02:00:00 PM.
 
You are not logged in.

Please Log In for full access to the web site.
Note that this link will take you to an external site (https://shimmer.mit.edu) to authenticate, and then you will be redirected back to this page.

The axon of an unmyelinated nerve fiber is cylindrical in shape and conducts neural messages known as action potentials. Action potentials have a characteristic shape that propagates with uniform speed along the length of the axon, so that action potentials measured at two different locations, labeled A and B below,

differ by a shift in time, as shown in the following plots of voltage versus time.

Throughout this question, you can assume that time t is measured in milliseconds (ms) and distance z is measured in millimeters (mm).

Part a. Assume that measurement site A is located at z=0 and measurement site B is located at z=5,mm. How fast is the action potential propagating?

Part b. Let v(z,t) represent the voltage of the action potential as a function of distance z and time t. Determine an expression for v(z,t) of the form

v(z,t)=v_A(az+bt)
where a and b are constants.

Part c. Sketch voltage as a function of space (z) when t=8\,ms.


Upload your solution to this problem (including parts a, b, and c) as a single pdf file.
Your most recent submission before the problem deadline is the one that will be graded.
 No file selected