Classroom Tools Series:
Science Resources 3 – Quick facts about the Heart
Valentine’s Day has already passed but some still have their hearts somersaulting either because of happiness or (sob) grief. Whatever that emotion is, take time to check if your hearts are still beating that normal 70-100 beats/sec because if not, you may be in trouble. Read on to find out more about your heart: how it works, why it fails, and how to take care of it.
Some interesting facts about the Heart
- Development. About four weeks after conception, the heart of an embryo already starts to beat. After another four weeks, the one-inch long human amazingly has already a fully developed heart.1
- Location. When singing the national anthem, we normally put our hand on the left side of chest because of the belief that it is where the heart is located. Guess what? The heart is actually positioned in the center of the chest, between the lungs. It’s the bottom part that’s tipped to the left and taps against the left side of the chest making it seem as though it is located there.2
- Weight. The human heart weighs less than a pound4 - an adult woman’s heart weighs about 8 ounces, a man’s about 10 ounces.3
- Size. For a kid, it’s about the size of the youngster’s fist. For an adult, close to twice the size of the fist.2
- Beats. In just one day, the human heart beats about 100,000 times which is close to 35 million times in a year. This equates to 2.5 billion times in a 70-year average lifetime.3
- Pressure. The heart pumping blood out to the body is about the same amount of force used when squeezing a tennis ball hard. Even without doing anything, it works “twice as hard as the leg muscles of a person sprinting.”2 Because of its strength, it can even create enough pressure to squirt blood at a distance of thirty feet.4
- Pulse. The pulse that we feel is the stopping and starting of blood as it moves through the arteries. For kids, the normal pulse rate ranges from 90 to 120 beats per minute. As we grow older, it slows down to an average of 72 beats per minute.2
- Blood Vessels. Our body’s arteries, veins and capillaries that make up the system of blood vessels is over 60,000 miles long which is more than enough to go around the world twice!3 The largest artery is the aorta with a diameter of about a garden hose while a capillary is most likely equal to ten hair strands.2
- Blood. Blood is about 78 percent water and the human body has about 5.6 liters (6 quarts) or blood. It takes about 20 seconds to circulate throughout the entire vascular system or three times every minute. Within 24 hours, it travels a total of 19,000 km or 12,000miles!3
- Rhythm. The heart beat actually produces two sounds – the “lub” and “dub.” These sounds are made by the heart valves as they open and close.2 See the valves in action at Nova Online.com.
- Gender. Women’s hearts beat faster than men’s.4 But it does not necessarily mean that women fall in love faster that men.
- Structure. In 1706, French anatomy professor Raymond de Viessens was the first to describe the structure of the heart.3
- Surgery. In 1893, the first open heart surgery was performed by Dr. Daniel Hall Williams.4
- ECG. In 1902, Dutch physiologist Willem Einthoven invented the electrocardiograph to evaluate the heart’s rate and rhythm.3
- Transplant. In 1967, the first successful heart transplant was performed surprisingly in Cape Town, South Africa.4
Heart Attack 101 from FunShun.com
- Everyday, 2700 people all over the world die of heart disease.
- Believe it or not, the longer the ring finger of the guys, the less chance they have of having a heart attack, according to scientists. So, better check that finger before saying the words, “I do.”
- Gum matters. Those who suffer from gum disease are twice as likely to have a stroke or heart attack.
- Based on statistics, most heart attack occurrence are between 8 to 9 o’clock in the morning.
- For additional information on heart failure statistics plus the common and unusual signs of heart attacks, check out Heart Facts.
Recommended Sites
Since heart diseases are among the leading causes of death, educating one’s self with what these are and how to lower the risk of being afflicted could help a lot in preventing this to happen.
Sites that explain and expound on heart failures and diseases: Heart Disease Facts, Facts about Heart Failure, and Facts About Heart Disease: It’s A Family Affair.
For maintaining a healthy heart, browse through Shortcut to Healthy Hearts Guides, Pathway for a Healthy Heart, and Healthy Eating For Healthy Living.
Sources:
1 Take These Facts to Heart, http://www.health-alliance.com/contentarchive/July99/heart.html
2 Amazing Heart Facts at NOVA Online, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/eheart/facts.html
3 Heart facts, http://www.clevelandclinic.org/heartcenter/pub/guide/heartworks/heartfacts.htm
4 Heart Facts at FunShun.com,
http://www.funshun.com/amazing-facts/heart-human-body-facts.html
