The Nervous System
The nervous system consists of two parts; the central nervous system ( brain and spinal cord- voluntary body function) and peripheral nervous system ( organs, heart , and intestine- involuntary body function). The basic unit of the nervous system are known as neurons which allow the transmission and reception of electrical impulses. There are over 100 billion neurons and each measure about 10 μm each. The neuron is made up of different components that allow nerve impulses to be carried across. What is a nerve impulse? An electrical current that travels through voltage gated channels in the plasma membrane due to a flow of ions. The brain is often referred to as the "powerhouse" because it controls how we function and our ability to live everyday.Measuremements of the electrical signals and potentials in the nerves are used to obtain clinical information, such as electrocardiongram (heart function), electroencephalogram ( brain function), and electromyogram (muscle function).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odZw2jvbjr8
Why the nervous system?
I decided to do my project on the nervous system because I was interested in understanding how information is sent out to the body to control different aspects of our everyday life. The nervous system controls everything, including the five senses. For example, if you touches a hot surface why is that immediately you take off your hand. I wanted a better understanding of the nervous system as a whole but mainly on the physics behind each of the human senses.