Final answer:
Luigi Galvani is known for first measuring the speed of conduction in the nervous system. For a 1.1-meter long nerve at 18 m/s, the nerve impulse would take approximately 0.0611 seconds to travel that distance.
Step-by-step explanation:
The person credited with initially measuring the speed of conduction in the nervous system is Luigi Galvani, an Italian physician and scientist. He conducted pioneering research on nerve conduction in animals in the 18th century. Galvani's work laid the foundation for understanding how electrical impulses travel through the nervous system.
To calculate the time it takes for a nerve impulse to travel along a 1.1-meter long nerve cell at the speed of 18 meters per second, you use the formula:
Time = Distance / Speed
Thus:
Time = 1.1 meters / 18 meters/second = 0.0611 seconds (rounded to four decimal places)
This means the nerve signal would take approximately 0.0611 seconds to travel from the spinal cord to the feet.