The carotid arteries take oxygenated blood from the heart to the brain. The pulse from the carotids may be felt on either side of the front of the neck just below the angle of the jaw. This rhythmic "beat" is caused by varying volumes of blood being pushed out of the heart toward the extremities.

Arteries carry oxygenated blood away from the heart to the tissues of the body; veins carry blood depleted of oxygen from the same tissues back to the heart. The arteries are the vessels with the "pulse", a rhythmic pushing of the blood in the heart followed by a refilling of the heart chamber. To determine heart rate, one feels the beats at a pulse point like the inside of the wrist for 10 seconds, and multiplies this numbers by six. This is the per-minute total.

To measure the pulse at the wrist, place the index and middle finger over the underside of the opposite wrist, below the base of the thumb. Press firmly with flat fingers until you feel the pulse in the radial artery.