Voluntary and Involuntary Actions
There are two kinds of actions in our body. Voluntary actions and involuntary actions. All those actions which involve thinking and response by brain are voluntary actions. Like picking a glass, driving a car, reading and understanding, watching learnfatafat videos are all voluntary actions.
In contrast to this, there are actions which happens unknowingly, such reactions are called involuntary actions. Like heartbeat, breathing, blood flow, digestion.
Reflex Action
A special type of involuntary action is reflex action or reflex arc.
Normally our sense organs such as skin, eyes, ears, tongue, nose generate electrical signals in response to stimulus. e.g. when sound is produced, ears generate electrical signal. The generated signal is transferred to spinal cord and then to brain. Brain think about the situation and the response that should be given. Again brain generate response signal which travel to muscle tissue so as to perform specific action. This way might not work if the stimulus is hazardous, just like touching a hot object. It is because the time consumed in this process is sufficient to cause severe effect. The need of quicker response is solved if nerves that detects pain are connected to nerves that facilitate muscular movement. To do this, nerves from all over the body are connected to a common site called spinal cord. In accidental situation, nerves that detect pain send signal to spinal cord, from where these travel to nerves that facilitate muscular movement without involving the thinking process by brain, such action is called reflex action. Though brain receive signal from spinal cord but it does not take part in the action.
This is all about reflex action.
Watch Video on Reflex Action here
This article is helpful for Class 10 Science
Keywords: Reflex action, Spinal cord, Electric signals, Nerves
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