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Body Lab 3-5 / Week 04 / Thursday
4/6
Week 04 · Heart and Blood

Thursday

Find the beat
// The pump and its delivery roads
⏱ about 15 min

Thursday: Find the Beat

Rocket presses his whole hand on his arm. "I can't feel anything!" he groans.

Raven tries too. "What do you notice if you press gently with two fingers?"

Nova glows near Raven's wrist. "Try the inside of the wrist, just below the thumb," she says.

Rocket slows down and tries again. Tap, tap, tap. "There it is! I found the beat!"

What is a pulse?

Your pulse is the beat you feel where an artery runs close to the skin.

Each beat comes from your heart squeezing.

A good place to find it is your inner wrist, just below the thumb.

Your heart rate is how many beats happen in one minute.

Safety first
Press gently with your fingertips. Never press hard.
Use only your wrist for this activity.
Sit down while you count.
Taking your pulse is only if you want to. It is fine to skip it.
  1. Sit still and rest for a few minutes.
  2. Turn one hand palm up.
  3. Place two fingers of your other hand on your inner wrist, below the thumb.
  4. Press gently until you feel a small tap, tap, tap.
  5. A grown-up watches a clock for 15 seconds while you count the beats.
  6. Multiply your count by 4 to get beats in one minute.
For a grown-up
Help your child find the soft spot on the inner wrist below the thumb.
Time 15 seconds while they count. Help them multiply by 4.
Every count is fine to share or keep private. There is no right number.
Questions about your child's heart? Ask a doctor or nurse.

Pulse math

Why multiply by 4? There are four groups of 15 seconds in one minute.

Here is some pulse math using made-up practice numbers.

Made-up practice count (15 seconds)Times 4Beats in one minute
2020 x 480
2222 x 488
2525 x 4100
A made-up count is 18 beats in 15 seconds. How many beats is that in one minute?
WHY THIS EXERCISE18 times 4 is 72, because four 15-second groups make one minute.
How many 15-second groups are in one minute?
A made-up count is 30 beats in 30 seconds. Multiply by ____ for one minute.
PULSE CHECK
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
What makes each beat of your pulse?
You can feel a pulse where an artery is close to what?
StatementTrue or false?
Your pulse is felt where an artery is close to the skin.?
You should press very hard to feel a pulse.?
Heart rate means beats in one minute.?
Counting for 15 seconds and multiplying by 4 gives beats in one minute.?
WHY THIS EXERCISEA gentle press finds the pulse, and 15 seconds times 4 fills one minute.
MORE PULSE MATH
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
A made-up count is 21 beats in 15 seconds. What is that in one minute?
A made-up count is 40 beats in 30 seconds. What is that in one minute?
My count (optional)Times 4Beats in one minute

You found the beat, or you practiced the math. Both are great science! Tomorrow we see what moving does to the beat.

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