When the heart expands (heretofore known as expansion :)), it sends blood (heretofore known as “metallic tasting red stuff”) through the body (heretofore known as <SHUT UP!>). What is the speed of this blood? I’m sure it varies from person to person, but what is the average speed? AskJeeves was of absolutely no use on this one (SEE: Make Blood Fast and Legitimate!).
Mosby’s Nursing dictionary says that blood travels about 30 cm/second and takes 20 seconds to travel through the whole body.
It depends on the cross-sectional area of the vessel and the blood flow. According to a Physiological Basis of Medical Practice
I meant to put millimeters in boldface to highlight the fact that blood flow in the capillaries is much slower than in the arteries or veins.
The velociy in the larger arteries of the dog during rest is from 0.1 to 0.2 meter per second, in the capillaries about 0.5 millimeter per second, and in the medium sized and large veins from 0.06 to 0.2 meters per second.
Exactly what I was looking for. Thanks a lot, guys. You can kick Jeeves ass any day! Hmm… AssJeeves?
Actually, blood is sent through the body when the heart (specifically, the ventricles) contracts. This is known as systole.
Yes, of course, you are correct. I shall hang my head in shame and play Nintendo the rest of my life for making such an obvious, dumb mistake 