- EXPLORE PHYSICS -
Now here comes the PHYSICS!
As biology and physics will keep weaving into each other,
I'll call as "bioengineering" from now on! :)
To convert the biological information into physics method,
we need to know how to convert it!
For the first step, let's go with the electricity terms. I mean, physics units.
1 calorie per second = 4.1868 Watts = 1 Joules per second
Wait, so what is a watt?
Watt is a unit of power that is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer.
Then how about Joules?
Joule is a unit of energy that is used to measure how much work has done.
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As we know about the unit of power and energy used in physics
let's look at how we can apply these to the real world.
In order to measure the electricity that flows in the plant,
we need to divide in several sections where different electrical signals flow during different time periods.
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Extracellular recording with four channels and a reference electrode is inserted in the soil. An AP (right) generated by electrical stimulation appears successively at electrodes 1, 2, 3 and 4.
By using biomimicry, we insert electrodes inside the plant
stem or leaves where the AP and VP are stimulated and generates electrical signals.
During the same time period, we can conduct at least 2 types of electrical information by converting electricities into a voltage (which is another unit that measures power that flows).
Cooling the shoot evokes an AP transmitted within the phloem, while flaming of a leaf generates a VP with a different form and of a long duration of time.
Intracellular measurement of the membrane potential with a microelectrode inserted into the cytoplasm of an algal cell while the reference electrode is in contact with the artificial pond water (APW) outside the cell.
Both electrodes are filled with KCl, clamped in Ag-AgCl pellet holders and connected to an electrometer.
