Question

If a signal is transmitted along a segment of nerve axon measuring 5 x 10-4 m, how much time is required for the signal to reach the end of the segment, assuming maximal transmission velocity?

A. 2.5 x 10-6 ms
B. 2.5 x 10-3 ms
C. 1 x 10-1 ms
D. 1 x 10-1 s

MATH

Answer 1

The student's question deals with calculating the time it takes for a nerve signal to travel a specific distance along an axon, using a given maximal transmission velocity. An example comparison is provided where a 1.1m long nerve cell with an 18m/s impulse speed is used to demonstrate how time is calculated.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question pertains to the speed of nerve signal transmission in the human body's nervous system. Specifically, it is asking how much time is required for an electrical signal, or action potential, to travel along a 5 x 10-4 meter segment of a nerve axon, given a maximal transmission velocity. This is effectively a simple division problem, where the distance (the length of the axon segment) must be divided by the speed of the nerve impulse transmission. While the maximum speed is not provided in the question, examples given in study materials indicate that nerve impulse speeds can vary greatly, such as 18 m/s for a nerve cell connecting to the spinal cord. Depending on the speed, the time it takes for a signal to travel a certain distance can be calculated and expressed in appropriate time units such as milliseconds (ms) or seconds (s).