Final answer:
The correct answer is coal. The steam engine was used to pump water out of coal mines and played a significant role in the Industrial Revolution.
Step-by-step explanation:
The correct answer is a) Coal. In 1705, a large steam engine was produced to move coal. The Industrial Revolution in the late eighteenth century heavily relied on coal as a fuel source for locomotion, mechanized manufacturing, large-scale materials processing, and heating applications. The steam engine was initially used to pump water out of coal mines to accelerate the extraction of coal.
In 1705, Thomas Newcomen unveiled a pioneering steam engine designed to pump water from mines. This invention marked a crucial step in the evolution of steam power during the Industrial Revolution. The Newcomen engine utilized steam to create a vacuum, enabling the atmospheric pressure to force water out of mineshafts.
Though it primarily served to address mining challenges, this innovative technology laid the foundation for subsequent advancements in steam engines.
Its impact reverberated across industries, contributing to the transformative changes in transportation, manufacturing, and energy production that characterized the later stages of the Industrial Revolution in the 18th and 19th centuries.