A defibrillator is used by emergency medical staff to shock the heart of an acci

Question

A defibrillator is used by emergency medical staff to shock the heart of an accident victim by applying a 10,000-V potential difference across the victim's chest.

(a) If the defibrillator has an internal resistance of 15 and the victim's heart has a resistance of 310 , what is the current that passes through the victim's heart the moment the defibrillator is discharged?
A

(b) If the defibrillator delivers this current over a 15-ms time interval, how many electrons pass through the heart during this process?
electrons

Explanation / Answer

a)

R = heart's resistance = 310

r = internal resistance = 15

V = Voltage applied = 10000

i = V/ (R + r) = 10000/ (310 + 5) = 31.75 A

b)

charge passed is given as

Q = i t = 31.75 x 15 x 10-3 = 0.476 C

Using the formula

Q = n e                        e = charge on electron , n = number of electron

0.476 = n (1.6 x 10-19)

n = 2.974 x 1018

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