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Rigor mortis is brought on by the release of calcium from the decomposing cells. It causes the the cross links in the muscle cells to link. As ATP is need for the release of the cross links the body remains stiff. (no ATP as body is dead) Rigor passes within 36hrs.

Heat stiffening is the shrinking of the muscles due to the coagulation of the muscle proteins. Think about frying beef, it shrinks. Heat stiffening lasts until the body begins to break down the muscles and only then will the body go flaccid. Rigor mortis doesn't occur.

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Q: What is difference between rigor mortis and heat stiffening?
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Why is it better to time a large number of oscillations to determine the period of a pendulum?

Timing a large number of oscillations accounts for instrument error. If each oscillation takes exactly 1.0001 seconds, but the timer can only measure to the tenth of a second, it takes 1000 oscillations to detect the fractional second. If this pendulum is being used for something for a very long period of time, the error might result in a significant drift in behavior. If this pendulum runs a grandfather clock, the clock will lose 1 second every 10000 seconds (approximately 3 hours). This accounts for 8 seconds per day, nearly a minute per week, and about 50 minutes per year. This might be acceptable for a novelty piece like a grandfather clock, but if it governs something more important, it will have a significant effect. Accounting for minute differences like this is one of the more annoying parts of scientific method, called scientific rigor. It's important in real experiments, and indoctrination of science students in rigor starts long before the students start doing stuff where it's practical, so it often frustrates students a great deal.


What would be the temperature of dead human body?

After the heart stops beating, the body immediately starts turning cold. This phase is known as algor mortis, or the death chill. Each hour, the body temperature falls about 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit (0.83 degrees Celsius) until it reaches room temperature. At the same time, without circulation to keep it moving through the body, bloodstarts to pool and settle. Rigor mortis, or a stiffening of the body, sets in about two to six hours after death [source: Marchant, Middleton].While the body as a whole may be dead, little things within the body are still alive. Skin cells, for example, can be viably harvested for up to 24 hours after death [source: Mims]. But some things that are still alive lead to the putrefaction, or decomposition, of the body -- we're talking about little organisms that live in the intestines.A few days after death, these bacteria and enzymes start the process of breaking down their host. The pancreas is full of so many bacteria that it essentially digests itself [source: Macnair]. As these organisms work their way to other organs, the body becomes discolored, first turning green, then purple, then black. If you can't see the change, you'll smell it soon enough, because the bacteria create an awful-smelling gas. In addition to smelling up the room, that gas will cause the body to bloat, the eyes to bulge out of their sockets and the tongue to swell and protrude. (In rare instances, this gas has created enough pressure after a few weeks to cause decomposing pregnant women to expel the fetus in a process known as coffin birth.)A week after death, the skin has blistered and the slightest touch could cause it to fall off. A month after death, the hair, nails and teeth will fall out. The hair and nails, by the way, while long rumored to keep growing after death, don't have any magical growth properties. They merely look bigger as the skin dries out. Internal organs and tissues have liquefied, which will swell the body until it bursts open. At that point, askeleton remains.Now, most of us don't see that process because the law requires that we do something with the body. There are endless possibilities: We can choose a coffin for our body or an urn for our ashes. We can be embalmed, mummified or frozen. Some cultures were rumored to engage in cannibalistic rituals of consuming the dead, while others left their dead exposed to the elements for animals to cart away. You could donate your body to science or ask for burial at sea. But unless mummified or preserved, bodies eventually disintegrate in the process described above. However, burial in a coffin slows the process tremendously; even the type of soil in which you're buried can make a difference.Disposal of a dead bod­y is largely regulated by cultural and religious beliefs. Early cultures buried the dead with their favorite possessions (and sometimes their favorite people) for the afterlife. Sometimes, warriors or servants were buried standing up, eternally ready for action. Orthodox Jews shroud their dead and bury them on the same day as death, while Buddhists believe that consciousness stays in the body for three days [source: Mims]. Hindus are cremated, because it's believed that burning releases the soul from the body, while Roman Catholics frown on cremation out of respect for the body as a symbol of human life [sources: Mims; Cassell et al].Religion and culture will always be intertwined with death, and one large area of influence relates to the ethical questions surrounding the dying process. On the next page, we'll consider some of the issues.


Related questions

How do you spell rigor mortis?

That is the correct spelling for "rigor mortis" -- a Latin phrase applied to the stiffening of muscle tissues after death.


Can you eat an animal that died of rigor mortis?

Rigor mortice is the (temporary) stiffening of joints after death. Animals do not die of rigor mortice.


Which phenomena is explained by the specific role of ATP?

Rigor Mortis (The stiffening of a body after death).


How long does rigor mortis last in a rabbit?

How long it takes rigor mortis to set in depends on the size of the dog. The stiffening of the muscles usually begins within three hours of death and will affect small dogs much more quickly than large dogs.


Does temperature affect rigor mortis?

Temperature does effect rigor mortis. Low temperatures slow rigor mortis and it is accelerated by high temperatures.


What is rigomortus?

Rigor mortis is a postmortem process in which the body becomes stiff and rigid due to the loss of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in the muscles. It typically begins 2-6 hours after death and can last up to 48 hours.


What is affected by rigor mortis first?

Rigor mortis begins between three and four hours after someone has died. It usually begins in the neck, jaw, and eyelids.


When was Rigor Mortis Sets In created?

Rigor Mortis Sets In was created in 1972-11.


What is the duration of Rigor Mortis radio?

The duration of Rigor Mortis - radio - is 1800.0 seconds.


What is rigor mortis-?

Rigor mortis is a build up of released lactic acid. Rigor mortis starts a few hours after you die, and causes your muscles to contract, or shorten, which is their natural state. After about 12 hours Rigor mortis begins to dissipate.


When was Rigor Mortis - album - created?

Rigor Mortis - album - was created on 1988-10-17.


When was Rigor Mortis - radio - created?

Rigor Mortis - radio - was created on 2003-06-12.