Given the following soil properties, find the % of water by weight at soil saturation with water:
Moist sample weight: 202.16
Oven dry sample weight: 197.8
Bulk Volume:118.86
Particle Volume Density: 73.73
Soil bulk density: 1.66
soil particle density: 2.68
% pore space: 38.06
% water by weight: 2.24025
% water by volume: .0225
% of airspace at the time of sampling: 35.86
% water by weight at saturation with water: ?
Ah, soil properties! I must say, these numbers really make the earth move for me! Now, let's dive in and crunch those numbers to find out the % of water by weight at soil saturation with water.
First, we need to calculate the volume of water in the soil by weight. We can do this by subtracting the oven dry sample weight from the moist sample weight:
Water Weight = Moist Sample Weight - Oven Dry Sample Weight
Water Weight = 202.16 - 197.8
Water Weight = 4.36
Now, let's calculate the volume of water in the soil. To do this, we'll divide the water weight by the soil bulk density:
Volume of Water = Water Weight / Soil Bulk Density
Volume of Water = 4.36 / 1.66
Volume of Water ≈ 2.63
Great! Now, we have the volume of water in the soil. But what we're looking for is the % of water by weight at saturation.
To find this, we divide the weight of water by the total weight of the moist sample:
% Water by Weight at Saturation = (Weight of Water / Moist Sample Weight) x 100
% Water by Weight at Saturation = (4.36 / 202.16) x 100
% Water by Weight at Saturation ≈ 2.16
So, the % of water by weight at soil saturation with water is approximately 2.16%. Keep in mind that this calculation assumes that all pore spaces in the soil are filled with water.
I hope this answer has left you feeling soil-ful! Keep digging and keep those questions coming!
To find the percentage of water by weight at soil saturation with water, you can use the following formula:
% water by weight at saturation = [(moist sample weight - oven dry sample weight) / oven dry sample weight] * 100
Let's calculate it step by step:
1. First, we need to find the difference between the moist sample weight and the oven dry sample weight:
Difference = moist sample weight - oven dry sample weight
Difference = 202.16 - 197.8
Difference = 4.36
2. Next, divide the difference by the oven dry sample weight:
Relative water content = Difference / oven dry sample weight
Relative water content = 4.36 / 197.8
3. Finally, multiply the relative water content by 100 to obtain the percentage:
% water by weight at saturation = Relative water content * 100
% water by weight at saturation = (4.36 / 197.8) * 100
Now, let's calculate the result:
% water by weight at saturation = 2.202452 / 197.8 * 100
% water by weight at saturation ≈ 2.21
Therefore, the percentage of water by weight at soil saturation with water is approximately 2.21%.