If the S.V.P of water vapour was 13.5mmHg at 33ºC and 7.3mmHg at 7ºC. Find the percentage relative of the air on a day when average air temperature was 33ºC...

Answer Details

To calculate the percentage relative humidity of the air, we use the relationship between the saturation vapour pressure (SVP) and the actual vapour pressure. The formula for relative humidity is:

Relative Humidity (%) = (Actual Vapour Pressure / Saturation Vapour Pressure) * 100

In this problem, the "dew point" refers to the temperature at which air becomes saturated with moisture and water begins to condense. At the dew point, the actual vapour pressure is equal to the saturation vapour pressure at that dew point temperature.

From the problem, we have:

• Saturation Vapour Pressure (SVP) at 33ºC = 13.5 mmHg
• Saturation Vapour Pressure (SVP) at 7ºC (which is the dew point) = 7.3 mmHg

The actual vapour pressure of the air is equal to the SVP at the dew point, which is 7.3 mmHg.

Now we calculate the percentage relative humidity using the formula:

Relative Humidity (%) = (7.3 mmHg / 13.5 mmHg) * 100

Carrying out the calculation:

Relative Humidity (%) = (7.3 / 13.5) * 100 = 0.5407 * 100 = 54.07%

Rounding to the nearest whole number, we get **54%**. Therefore, the percentage relative humidity of the air is 54%.