Electrical Heart Functions

Students learn how the heart functions. They are introduced to the concept of action potential generation, which causes the electrical current that triggers muscle contraction in the heart. Teachers provide two simple class demos and students learn about the basic electrical signals generated by the heart: P, QRS and T waves. Students also learn the basic steps of the engineering design process and think of ways to improve heart function, from a biomedical engineering point-of-view. A PowerPoint® presentation, student design challenge worksheet and pre/post-assessment tests are provided.