pulse

pulse

¹

1. Physiol

a. the rhythmic contraction and expansion of an artery at each beat of the heart, often discernible to the touch at points such as the wrists

b. a single pulsation of the heart or arteries

2. Physics electronics

a. a transient sharp change in voltage, current, or some other quantity normally constant in a system

b. one of a series of such transient disturbances, usually recurring at regular intervals and having a characteristic geometric shape

c. (as modifier): a pulse generator

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pulse

²

1. the edible seeds of any of several leguminous plants, such as peas, beans, and lentils

2. the plant producing any of these seeds

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

pulse

[pəls]

(physics)

A variation in a quantity which is normally constant; has a finite duration and is usually brief compared to the time scale of interest.

(physiology)

The regular, recurrent, palpable wave of arterial distention due to the pressure of the blood ejected with each contraction of the heart.

A single wave.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

pulse

A short duration of current flow. The current rises and falls sharply, but not instantaneously. See wave.

Copyright © 1981-2025 by The Computer Language Company Inc. All Rights reserved. THIS DEFINITION IS FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY. All other reproduction is strictly prohibited without permission from the publisher.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Pulse

 

an annual plant of the Leguminosae family, grown to produce vegetables: beans, peas, French beans, and Vigna (Dolichos lablab). Pulses are rich in protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, and the mineral salts of potassium, phosphorus, calcium, and magnesium. They are grown for their young beans, called shovels, and for their unripe seeds. Both fresh and preserved pulses are used as food. They are dried and frozen.

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Pulse

 

the rhythmic dilatation of the blood vessels simultaneously with the contraction of the heart, visible to the naked eye and palpable. Palpation of an artery reveals the frequency, rhythm, tension, and other properties of the arterial pulse.

In a healthy adult male, the pulse rate at rest is 60–80 beats per min, with even intervals between the beats. This is altered in arrhythmias: the intervals between beats become irregular and the number of beats may become fewer (as in atrial fibrillation) than the number of heart contractions, the pulse deficit. It is important in diagnosis to determine the arterial pulse, since the pulse wave depends on the systolic volume of blood ejected into the aorta with each contraction of the heart, the correlation between the inflow and outflow of blood in the arterial system, the level of arterial pressure, and the tone and elasticity of the arterial walls.

The pulse wave is distinguished from the pulsating movement of blood in the vessels. A pulse wave moves in the arteries at the rate of 500–1,000 cm/sec and ahead of the linear movement of blood in the aorta, which occurs at the rate of 50 cm/sec. Pulse fluctuations in peripheral arteries result from the pulse wave and not from the systolic volume of blood. The rate of a pulse wave obeys the physical laws of the movement of a pressure wave in elastic tubes: the thicker and less elastic the arterial walls (as in atherosclerosis), the higher the rate of the pulse wave. The rate is determined by graphic methods of registering the pulse. Determination of the pulse is important in the diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases.

I. M. KAEVITSER

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.