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%.