| A | B |
| Sarcomere | The repeating unit of myofibril |
| Neuron | The functional unit of the nervous system, a nerve cell |
| Synapse | The interface between a nerve cell and another cell |
| Neurotransmitter | A chemical released by a neuron. This chemical travels across the synaptic cleft, allowing the neuron to communicate with another cell. |
| Motor Unit | One motor neuron and all the muscle fibers it innervates |
| All-or-none law of skeletal muscle contraction | An individual muscle fiber contracts with equal force in response to each action potential |
| Subthreshold Stimulus | A stimulus too small to create an action potential in a neuron |
| Threshold Stimulus | A stimulus strong enough to create one action potential in a neuron |
| Submaximal Stimuli | Stimuli of increasing strength that create more action potentials along more neurons |
| Maximal Stimulus | A stimulus which is strong enough to create action potentials in all the motor neurons innervating a whole muscle |
| Muscle Tone | The state of partial contraction in a muscle, even when the muscle is not being used |