Question

(b)

The aorta transports blood from the heart to the body.
In a person at rest:
blood travels at a mean speed of 10 cm/s in the aorta
blood travels at a mean speed of 0.5 mm/s in the capillaries
the speed of blood decreases at a rate of 0.4 cm/s² as blood travels from the
aorta to the capillaries.
Calculate the time it takes for blood to travel from the aorta to the capillaries.
Assume that the speed of blood decreases at a constant rate.
Use the equation:
rate of decrease in speed=
Give your answer to 2 significant figures.
change in speed
time

Answer 1

The time it takes for blood to travel from the aorta to the capillaries is 20 seconds. This can be calculated using the equation: t = v₁ - v₂ / a , where v₁ is the initial velocity (10 cm/s), v₂ is the final velocity (0.5 mm/s), and a is the acceleration (0.4 cm/s²). Therefore, t = 10 cm/s - 0.5 mm/s / 0.4 cm/s² = 20 s.