Question

Angioplasty is a technique in which arteries partially blocked with plaque are dilated to increase blood flow. By what factor must the radius of an artery be increased in order to increase blood flow by a factor of 10?

(a) 2
(b) 4
(c) 10
(d) 100

Answer 1

Increasing the radius of an artery by a factor of 10 increases the blood flow by a factor of 10,000 according to Poiseuille's Law.

Step-by-step explanation:

When the radius of an artery is increased, the flow rate of the blood through the artery increases. According to Poiseuille's Law, the flow rate is directly proportional to the radius to the power of four. So, if the radius of the artery is increased by a factor of 10, the flow rate will increase by a factor of (10^4) or 10,000.