Final answer:
You are feeling the heart's pumping action when taking your pulse, and the pulse rate for 10 seconds should be a factor of 6 times less than the rate for 1 minute. In the absence of normal heart electrical activity, the heart rate would be unpredictable or absent.
Step-by-step explanation:
When you feel your pulse, you are feeling the rhythmic throbbing of the heart's contractions as it pumps blood through the arteries. If you measure your pulse rate for 10 seconds and then for 1 minute, there should be a factor of 6 difference between the two measurements. This is because 60 seconds (1 minute) is 6 times longer than 10 seconds, so if you multiply the 10-second pulse count by 6, you should get the number of beats per minute (BPM).
If there is a total lack of normal electrical activity in the heart, we would expect the heart rate to be irregular or even to cease, which would mean there is no palpable pulse or a severely altered one. This can be an indicator of a serious medical emergency, like cardiac arrest, where immediate medical intervention is required.