Sinoatrial node of the next action potential. Pacemaker cells, however, don’t have this resting phase. Instead, immediately after one action potential, the membrane potential of these cells begins to depolarise again automatically, this is known as the pacemaker potential. Once the pacemaker potential reaches a set value, known as the threshold value, it then produces an action potential. Other cells within the heart (including the purkinje fibers and atrioventricular node; AVN) can also initiate action potentials; however, they do so at a slower rate and therefore, if the SA node is working, it usually beats the AVN to it. Outlined below are
Node (circuits) Dots used to mark nodes on a circuit diagram are sometimes referred to as "meatballs". Node (circuits) In electrical engineering, a node is any point on a circuit where the terminals of two or more circuit elements meet. In circuit diagrams, connections are ideal wires with zero resistance, so a node may consist of the entire section of wire between elements, not just a single point. According to Ohm's law, "V = IR", the voltage across any two points of a node with negligible resistance is showing that the voltage at every point of a node is the same. However,