Problem 1P The following questions are related to the passage “Dark Matter and the Structure of the Universe” on the previous page. As noted in the passage, our solar system orbits the center of the Milky Way galaxy in about 200 million years. If there were no dark matter in our galaxy, this period would be A. Longer. B. The same. C. Shorter.
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Textbook Solutions for College Physics
Question
Problem 81PP
The Defibrillator
A defibrillator is designed to pass a large current through a patient’s torso in order to stop dangerous heart rhythms. Its key part is a capacitor that is charged to a high voltage. The patient’s torso plays the role of a resistor in an RC circuit. When a switch is closed, the capacitor discharges through the patient’s torso. A jolt from a defibrillator is intended to be intense and rapid; the maximum current is very large, so the capacitor discharges quickly. This rapid pulse depolarizes the heart, stopping all electrical activity. This allows the heart’s internal nerve circuitry to reestablish a healthy rhythm.
A typical defibrillator has a 32 μF capacitor charged to 5000 V. The electrodes connected to the patient are coated with a conducting gel that reduces the resistance of the skin to where the effective resistance of the patient’s torso is 100 Ω.
For the values noted in the passage above, what is the time constant for the discharge of the capacitor?
A. 3.2 ms
B. 160 ms
C. 3.2 ms
D. 160 ms
Solution
The first step in solving 23 problem number trying to solve the problem we have to refer to the textbook question: Problem 81PPThe DefibrillatorA defibrillator is designed to pass a large current through a patient’s torso in order to stop dangerous heart rhythms. Its key part is a capacitor that is charged to a high voltage. The patient’s torso plays the role of a resistor in an RC circuit. When a switch is closed, the capacitor discharges through the patient’s torso. A jolt from a defibrillator is intended to be intense and rapid; the maximum current is very large, so the capacitor discharges quickly. This rapid pulse depolarizes the heart, stopping all electrical activity. This allows the heart’s internal nerve circuitry to reestablish a healthy rhythm.A typical defibrillator has a 32 μF capacitor charged to 5000 V. The electrodes connected to the patient are coated with a conducting gel that reduces the resistance of the skin to where the effective resistance of the patient’s torso is 100 Ω.For the values noted in the passage above, what is the time constant for the discharge of the capacitor?A. 3.2 msB. 160 msC. 3.2 msD. 160 ms
From the textbook chapter Circuits you will find a few key concepts needed to solve this.
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