Science Fact Finder | The Human Body - How Hard Does The Heart Work?

How hard does the heart work?

The rate of the heartbeat is determined, in part, by the size of the organism (person or other animal). Generally the smaller the size, the faster the heartbeat. On average, the adult heart beats 70 to 75 times a minute. A woman's heartbeat is 6 to 8 beats per minute faster than a man's heartbeat. The heart of a newborn baby can beat as fast as 130 times per minute.

The heart squeezes out about 2 ounces (71 grams) of blood with every beat. It pumps at least 2,500 gallons (9,450 liters) of blood daily.

Sources: Asimov, Isaac. The Human Body, New rev. ed., p. 167; Brandreth, Gyles. Your Vital Statistics, p. 53; Fisher, Arthur. The Healthy Heart, p. 11.

Join eNotes

The above is a free excerpt. Get total access to this content with the:

eNotes Pass