Question
Question: How does the length of the neuron affect the speed with which nerve impulse travels along with it?...
How does the length of the neuron affect the speed with which nerve impulse travels along with it?
Solution
The nerve impulse is the way where neurons transmit with one another. Nerve impulses carry electrical signals along the dendrites to produce a nerve impulse or action potential. The action potential is the result of ions changing positions in and out of the cell.
Complete answer:
A nerve impulse is an electrical signal that traverses along an axon.
This activates a wave of electrical movement that passes from the cell body along with the distance of the axon to the synapse.
A nerve impulse is a wave of electrical activity that passes from one edge of a neuron to the other.
The size of a neuron has very little to do with the velocity of a traveling action potential or a nerve impulse.
Action potentials can travel along axons with a speed of 0.1-100 m/s. This means that nerve impulses can travel at the fastest speed which allows for quick feedback to stimuli.
The speed is affected by 3 factors:
Temperature - The increase in temperature, the faster the speed. So warm-blooded animals have faster responses than poikilothermic ones. Axon diameter - The bigger the diameter, the faster the speed. So aquatic invertebrates who live at temperatures close to 0°C have evolved thick axons to speed up their reactions.
Note: Most important in nerve impulse is the existence of a myelin sheath boosts the speed of conduction of nerve impulses. Myelinated axons conduct impulses about 10 times faster than unmyelinated ones. The sheath protects the axon and covers up the section beneath it.