Final answer:
The statement that an ECG waveform will be upright when the wave of depolarization moves toward the positive electrode is true. Depolarization causes heart muscles to contract and, when traveling towards a positive electrode, produces a positive deflection on the ECG.
Step-by-step explanation:
If the wave of depolarization moves toward the positive electrode, the waveform recorded on ECG graph paper will indeed be upright (+). This statement is true. During an ECG (electrocardiogram), the electrical activity of the heart is measured by electrodes placed on the skin. These electrodes detect the movement of charge within the heart, which occurs during the depolarization and repolarization of heart muscles as they contract and relax.
Depolarization represents a change in the heart's electrical state from polarized (resting) to depolarized (active), which is associated with contraction. If depolarization travels towards a positive electrode, it creates a positive deflection in the recorded ECG waveform. For instance, during atrial depolarization, this is seen as the P wave, and during ventricular depolarization, as the QRS complex. Conversely, if depolarization moves away from the positive electrode, the recorded waveform would appear inverted (-).
To clarify, the positive electrode does not always have to be physically placed in a certain position; the term 'positive' may refer to the lead's point of view in the bipolar lead system of the ECG, where standard leads I, II, and III each measure the voltage difference between two points.