Final answer:
The volume of blood pumped through the systemic and pulmonary circuits per minute is called cardiac output and averages about 5 litres for a resting adult, based on an average heart rate of 72 beats per minute and a stroke volume of 70 millilitres per beat.
Step-by-step explanation:
The volume of blood flowing through the systemic and pulmonary circuits per minute is known as cardiac output, which averages about 5 litres per minute for a resting adult. This value is calculated as the product of heart rate and stroke volume, with the average adult heart beating approximately 72 times per minute and pumping about 70 millilitres of blood per beat.
To illustrate this calculation, let's assume an average heart rate (HR) of 72 beats per minute and an average stroke volume (SV) of 70 mL/beat, the equation for cardiac output (CO) would be:
CO = HR × SV = 72 beats/min × 70 mL/beat = 5040 mL/min or 5.04 L/min
Thus, every minute, 5.04 litres of blood are pumped and circulated throughout the body's systemic and pulmonary circuits.