Chapter 16, Problem 67AP

The immediate cause of many deaths is ventricular fibrillation, an uncoordinated quivering of the heart, as opposed to proper beating. An electric shock to the chest can cause momentary paralysis of the heart muscle, after which the heart will sometimes start organized beating again. A defibrillator is a device that applies a strong electric shock to the chest over a time of a few milliseconds. The device contains a capacitor of a few microfarads, charged to several thousand volts. Electrodes called paddles, about 8 cm across and coated with conducting paste, are held against the chest on both sides of the heart. Their handles are insulated to prevent injury to the operator, who calls “Clear!” and pushes a button on one paddle to discharge the capacitor through the patient's chest Assume an energy of 3.00 × 10² W · s is to be delivered from a 30.0-μF capacitor. To what potential difference must it be charged?