This problem was contributed by Hannah O'Day at Stanford University.
Consider two muscles of equal volume, one of which is parallel-fibered and the other is pennate:
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| Parallel-fibered muscle | Pennate muscle |
For each of the following properties in a typical Hill-type muscle model, which of the two muscles would have a larger parameter value and why?
(a) Optimal fiber length (in cm)
(b) Maximum isometric force (in N)
(c) Width of force–length curve (in cm)
(d) Maximum shortening velocity (in cm/s)
(e) Number of sarcomeres in series
(f) Force in the tendon (in N)