In a centrifugal pump, the eye is the inlet opening where water enters the impeller.

• A. The outlet
• B. The inlet opening where water enters the impeller
• C. The volute
• D. The shaft

Answer: (B)

The eye is the central inlet opening of the impeller where water first enters the rotating pump. This is the place fluid from the suction side flows into before being accelerated by the blades. From there, the impeller’s rotation throws the water outward, increasing its velocity and then converting that to pressure as it moves toward the discharge path. The outlet is where water exits the pump, the volute is the surrounding casing that collects and guides the flow to the discharge, and the shaft is the rotating axle that drives the impeller—not a fluid entry path. Understanding that the eye is the entry point helps explain how suction, flow, and pressure development begin inside a centrifugal pump.