Logical Reasoning

PT151 · S2 · Q17 Increasing the electrical load carried

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Increasing the electrical load carried on a transmission line increases the line’s temperature, and too great a load will cause the line to exceed its maximum operating temperature.

Statements

causal (increasing X increases Y)

more electrical load ⇢ higher temp on the trans line the line gets

causal (too great an X will cause Y)

too great a load ⇢ exceeds max temp

causal / comparison (affected by / cools more)

COOLER stronger winds > light winds

COOLER blowing across > blowing parallel

Evaluate

We got a whole bunch of causal relationships, so we should ask ourselves whether we can chain those causal ideas together.

The first two ideas were just saying that as you increase the load, the temperature goes up, and you might actually go beyond the max.

The last few ideas were about cooling down the line.

Maybe they're going for something relating to ?

Goal

Look for something we can support, if not prove, from the causal relationships we were given.

17.

Which one of the following is most strongly supported by the information above?

  1. Electrical utility companies typically increase

    Too Strong

    Too Strong: typically Out of Scope: utility companies On days with a strong cooling wind, electrical companies could potentially increase the load on their lines. They never want to overheat the lines, but a day with strong cooling winds gives them some cushion. Still, can we say that on more than 50% of days with strong cooling winds, electrical companies increase the load on their lines? No, we don't have any info about utility companies.

    11% picked this

  2. Transmission lines that run parallel

    Opposite

    The higher a load being carried, the more we need the wind to help us cool down those lines. Wind blowing across a line, at a right angle, cools it more than wind blowing parallel. So we would think, "a transmission line that gets hit by wind at a right angle will be cooled more than one hit by parallel wind, so we can carry a greater load on the right angle transmission line."

    5% picked this

  3. Correct

    The electrical load that a

    Why this is right

    Again, this answer is dealing with the temperature dynamic between "bigger load = hotter" and "strong / right angle = cooler". This answer pairs up stronger winds with greater tolerance for higher loads. We're told that strong winds cool more than light winds. So transmission lines are cooler on windier days, and thus we could carry a greater load than usual without hitting the max temperature. Say that we can normally only carry a 60% load, because the temperature of the lines is 85 degrees and their max is 90 degrees. We try to leave a 5 degree buffer. If the wind picks up, it might cool those lines down from 85 degrees to 80 degrees. At that point we can increase the load from 60% to something higher, until the lines are again at that 85 degree temperature where we stop.

    Skill tested: Most Supported · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.

    68% picked this

  4. Air temperature has less effect

    Unknown Comparison: air temperature

    The passage never talks about air temperature, so we can't support any comparison involving air temperature.

    2% picked this

  5. The maximum operating temperature of

    Unsupported: different maximum

    Windy days cool down the transmission lines. If they're normally 85 degrees when they're running on a calm day, then they're like 80 degrees on a windy day. But that doesn't change the maximum temperature they're allowed to get. If they're carrying the same load as as they do on a calm day, it just means that the lines are farther beneath the maximum temperature than they normally are.

    14% picked this

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