QUESTION IMAGE
Question
in the late 19th century, engineers struggled to predict when a fluid moving through a pipe would transition from smooth laminar flow to chaotic turbulent flow. in 1883, physicist osborne reynolds addressed this uncertainty by injecting a thin stream of dye into water flowing through glass tubes. he observed that the flow’s character depended not on velocity alone, but on the ratio of inertial forces to viscous forces. this insight led to the definition of the reynolds number, a dimensionless quantity that allows scientists to apply findings from small - scale models to massive hydraulic systems.
6 mark for review
which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?
a it identifies an engineering challenge, recounts how a physicist investigated it experimentally, and notes the practical value of the concept he derived.
b it presents a technical problem, describes the experiment used to analyze it, and explains the limitations of the metric resulting from that analysis.
c it challenges a prevailing theory of fluid dynamics, provides data that refutes it, and proposes a new hypothesis to account for the discrepancies.
d it traces the professional history of a physicist, lists his major contributions to engineering, and details the industrial applications of his most famous discovery.
- Analyze Option A: The text first states engineers' challenge (predicting flow transition), then recounts Osborne Reynolds' experimental investigation (injecting dye in water), and finally notes the practical value of Reynolds number (applying small - scale model findings to large hydraulic systems). This matches the structure described in A.
- Analyze Option B: The text does not explain limitations of the Reynolds number, so B is incorrect.
- Analyze Option C: The text does not challenge a prevailing theory or propose a new hypothesis; it focuses on solving an engineering challenge, so C is incorrect.
- Analyze Option D: The text is not about tracing the physicist's professional history or listing all his major contributions; it focuses on one specific problem and its solution, so D is incorrect.
Snap & solve any problem in the app
Get step-by-step solutions on Sovi AI
Photo-based solutions with guided steps
Explore more problems and detailed explanations
A. It identifies an engineering challenge, recounts how a physicist investigated it experimentally, and notes the practical value of the concept he derived.