Study for the Respiratory Therapy Test. Use flashcards and multiple choice questions, featuring hints and explanations. Prepare for your exam successfully!

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is true about the relationship between radius and flow when ΔP is constant?

With a fixed driving pressure, the rate of flow through a tube scales with the radius to the fourth power. This comes from Poiseuille’s law: Q = (π ΔP r^4)/(8 μ L). If ΔP, μ, and L are constant, increasing the radius causes a large increase in flow because of the r^4 relationship. So when the radius increases while ΔP stays the same, the flow increases. The other ideas either describe a different condition (changing ΔP) or oppose the direct radius-to-flow effect, or describe a reverse implication that, under the same constant ΔP assumption, still aligns with the same underlying relationship.

With a fixed driving pressure, the rate of flow through a tube scales with the radius to the fourth power. This comes from Poiseuille’s law: Q = (π ΔP r^4)/(8 μ L). If ΔP, μ, and L are constant, increasing the radius causes a large increase in flow because of the r^4 relationship. So when the radius increases while ΔP stays the same, the flow increases. The other ideas either describe a different condition (changing ΔP) or oppose the direct radius-to-flow effect, or describe a reverse implication that, under the same constant ΔP assumption, still aligns with the same underlying relationship.