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Related Concept Videos

Tonicity in Animals00:59

Tonicity in Animals

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The tonicity of a solution determines if a cell gains or loses water in that solution. The tonicity depends on the permeability of the cell membrane for different solutes and the concentration of nonpenetrating solutes in the solution within and outside of the cell. If a semipermeable membrane hinders the passage of some solutes but allows water to follow its concentration gradient, water moves from the side with low osmolarity (i.e., less solute) to the side with higher osmolarity (i.e.,...
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Natural selection is an evolutionary process in which individuals with survival-promoting traits reproduce at higher rates. These favorable traits become more common within a population or species. Naturally selected traits initially arise via random genetic mutations. In order for selection to occur, there must be variation within a population, the trait controlling the variation must be heritable, and there must be an evolutionary advantage for variation in the trait.
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Water plays a significant role in the life cycle of plants. However, insufficient or excess of water can be detrimental and pose a serious threat to plants.
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In the real world, oscillations seldom follow true simple harmonic motion. A system that continues its motion indefinitely without losing its amplitude is termed undamped. However, friction of some sort usually dampens the motion, so it fades away or needs more force to continue. For example, a guitar string stops oscillating a few seconds after being plucked. Similarly, one must continually push a swing to keep a child swinging on a playground.
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Tonicity describes the amount of solute in a solution. The measure of the tonicity of a solution, or the total amount of solutes dissolved in a specific amount of solution, is called its osmolarity. Three terms—hypotonic, isotonic, and hypertonic—are used to relate the osmolarity of a cell to the osmolarity of the extracellular fluid that contains the cells. In a hypotonic solution, such as tap water, the extracellular fluid has a lower concentration of solutes than the fluid inside...
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One interesting characteristic of the simple harmonic motion (SHM) of an object attached to a spring is that the angular frequency, and the period and frequency of the motion, depend only on the mass and the force constant of the spring, and not on other factors such as the amplitude of the motion or initial conditions. We can use the equations of motion and Newton's second law to find the angular frequency, frequency, and period.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 5, 2026

Kinematics and Ground Reaction Force Determination: A Demonstration Quantifying Locomotor Abilities of Young Adult, Middle-aged, and Geriatric Rats
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Horses damp the spring in their step.

A M Wilson1, M P McGuigan, A Su

  • 1Department of Veterinary Basic Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield, Herts AL9 7TA, UK. awilson@rvc.ac.uk

Nature
|January 10, 2002
PubMed
Summary

Horse leg tendons act like pogo sticks, storing energy for galloping. Surprisingly, digital flexor muscles don't drive the main motion but instead dampen high-frequency vibrations, protecting bones and tendons.

Area of Science:

  • Biomechanics
  • Equine locomotion
  • Musculoskeletal adaptations

Background:

  • Horses utilize elastic strain energy in muscle-tendon units to reduce muscular work during galloping.
  • Legs function akin to a pogo stick, tuned to a specific stride frequency (2.5 Hz).
  • Unique adaptations in digital flexor muscles (short fibers, passive properties) and long tendons facilitate this energy storage.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Investigate the role of digital flexor muscles in equine locomotion.
  • Determine the function of musculoskeletal adaptations in managing limb vibrations.
  • Clarify the contribution of muscle fibers versus tendons to the galloping mechanism.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of the mechanical arrangement of the equine leg.

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  • Examination of vibrational frequencies within the limb during locomotion.
  • Assessment of the functional capabilities of digital flexor muscles in regulating movement cycles.

    • Main Results:

    • The elastic leg structure allows for high-frequency vibrations (30-40 Hz), posing a risk of fatigue damage.
    • Digital flexor muscles exhibit limited capacity to influence the primary 2.5 Hz galloping cycle.
    • These muscles are optimally positioned to dampen the high-frequency oscillations.

    Conclusions:

    • Equine digital flexor muscles play a crucial role in vibration dampening, not primary locomotion.
    • This dampening mechanism protects against potential fatigue damage to tendons and bones.
    • The interplay between elastic energy storage and active dampening optimizes equine limb function during high-speed movement.