Questões de Concurso

In the section entitled "Resurgence of particle theory (1900 1923)", the author writes:

"By the 1890s, Maxwell's mathematical description of electromagnetic waves was considered so successful, particularly for its predictive power, that many physicists believed the fundamental nature of light was fully understood. But in the early 20th century, experimental discoveries began to challenge this consensus."

In this context, the discourse marker "But" contributes to the progression of the argument by:

(a)

Contrasting the confidence produced by Maxwell's model with the emergence of experimental results that reopened the debate about the nature of light.

(b)

Establishing a causal relation between the acceptance of Maxwell's equations and the experimental discoveries made in the early 20th century.

(c)

Reformulating the expression "fully understood" by specifying the experimental procedures used to demonstrate electromagnetic propagation.

(d)

Qualifying Maxwell's predictive success bysuggesting that his mathematical description hadalready been rejected by physicists in the 1890s.

(e)

Introducing a chronological transition in which theprevious scientific consensus is expanded throughnew confirmations of electromagnetic theory.