How is cardiac output calculated?

Cardiac output is calculated by multiplying stroke volume by heart rate. Stroke volume represents the amount of blood ejected by the heart with each beat, while heart rate indicates how many times the heart beats in one minute. By multiplying these two values together, you can determine the total volume of blood the heart pumps in one minute, which is crucial for assessing cardiovascular health and overall fitness.

This relationship reflects the importance of both the quantity of blood pumped per beat and the frequency of those beats, making it a fundamental concept in understanding cardiac function and the body's circulatory dynamics. The other options do not properly represent the mathematical relationship needed to accurately calculate cardiac output.