RC Guide/Passage G - what is true about poppy seeds in bread

[dlou0716]

Hello,

I have a question regarding RC Guide - Passage G, Question 2. While I got this question right, I wasn't completely convinced that E was the right answer.

Although the last sentence in the 3rd paragraph gives the answer away, but the 2nd sentence in the last paragraph clearly indicates that the position of any seed "is effectively unpredictable". Doesn't this contradict with the answer, or am I not understanding it correctly?

2. In the example discussed in the passage, what is true about poppy seeds in bread dough, once the dough has been thoroughly mixed?

E. They are in positions dictated by the underlying equations that govern the mixing process.


Thank you!
Dion

[JonathanSchneider]

Yours is a great question, and an insightful one. But the answer in the book is still quite true. Consider:

There are two facts in play here:

1 - The positions of the seeds are governed by certain complex equations.

2 - The positions of the seeds are unpredictable.

These seem to be at odds, as you suggest. However, they are not. The idea here is that while there are equations that govern the positions of the seeds, we do not - perhaps cannot - know the entirety of these equations. This is at the heart of the chaos theory as it is here described: while there are systems that govern everything, these systems are "staggeringly complex," and thus beyond our ability to fully understand.