Question

Assuming one nerve impulse must end before another can begin, what is the maximum firing rate of a nerve in impulses per second? Assume that it takes a millisecond for an impulse to travel through a nerve cell.

Answer 1

1000/second

Step-by-step explanation:

A nerve impulse is rise or fall of membrane potential in a certain region of a cell.

One nerve impulse lasts for 1 ms which is 10⁻³ seconds.

In the question it is given that one nerve impulse begins after one nerve impulse ends.

In 1 second there are 1000 ms.

So, the neuron firing rate would be 1000/second. This means that a nerve impulse will fire a thousand times each second.