October 1, 2015 (Vol. 35, No. 17)
Rating:
Strong Points: Nice illustrations and animations
Weak Points: Glitchy questions section, typos in text
Platform:
iPad/iPhone/Android
Cost:
$1.99
Summary:
Have you ever wondered about the biochemical mechanisms behind muscle contraction? If the answer is yes, then the (aptly named) Muscle Contraction app is for you! The app reads like an eBook, with content displayed over a series of pages through which one can scroll. Alternatively, one can jump to a particular section using the home screen, which divides content into structure of muscle, contraction mechanism, metabolism, and questions. While the interactive questions section is unfortunately somewhat glitchy, the remainder of the app is informative and accompanied by nice illustrations. Specific pages within the app also provide extra content through either pop-up text blurbs or animations. There are a few typos throughout the text in the app, but if you can ignore those imperfections, the app is an educational lesson on how our muscles work.