action potential

action potential

noun

A momentary change in electrical potential on the surface of a cell, especially of a nerve or muscle cell, that occurs when it is stimulated, resulting in the transmission of an electrical impulse.

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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"action potential." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 06 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/action-potential>.

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action potential. (n.d.). Retrieved December 06th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/action-potential

A momentary change in electrical potential on the surface of a neuron or muscle cell. Nerve impulses are action potentials. They either stimulate a change in polarity in another neuron or cause a muscle cell to contract.

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MLA Style

"action potential." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 06 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/action-potential>.

APA Style

action potential. (n.d.). Retrieved December 06th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/action-potential

Noun

(plural action potentials)

A short term change in the electrical potential that travels along a cell such as a nerve or muscle fiber.

English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.

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MLA Style

"action potential." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 06 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/action-potential>.

APA Style

action potential. (n.d.). Retrieved December 06th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/action-potential