Practice question · Numerical answer
Flow through a xylem vessel is proportional to the fourth power of its radius. If one vessel has three times the radius of another, how many times more water does it carry?
Hints
- Raise the radius ratio to the fourth power.
- Compute 3 to the power 4.
Show the answer
81 (answers within ±1 count)
Why
times more water. A single wide vessel can outperform dozens of narrow ones, which is why angiosperms with wide vessels can support far higher transpiration rates than conifers with tracheids alone.
Practise Plant Ground and Vascular Tissues
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