Question

1. The aorta is the largest artery in the body. Where the aorta leaves the heart, it has a diameter of about 3.2cm (that's a radius of 0.016m, area of 0.0008 m^2). The blood flow speed through the aorta near the heart is about 0.30 m/s.

a) Calculate the flow rate in the aorta in m^3/s

b) by the time the aorta reaches the abdomen the diameter is smaller, only about 2.4cm (that's a radius of 0.012m, area of 0.0004m^2). Find the velocity of the blood through the aorta in the abdomen.

c) in the abdomen the aorta (diameter of 2.4cm) branches into two smaller arteries, each with a diameter of only 1.2cm (area of 0.00008m^2). Do you expect the blood's velocity to increase or decrease in the smaller arteries? Why?

d) In the two smaller arteries in the abdomen from part (c), do you expect the blood flow to be laminar or turbulent? Why/ Explain or justify your reasoning.

Answer 1