At sea level the boiling point of water is 100 c at and attitude of 2km the boiling point of water is 93c
The boiling point of water decreases as altitude increases. At sea level, the boiling point of water is 100°C. However, at an altitude of 2 km (or approximately 6,561 feet), the boiling point of water decreases to 93°C. This decrease in boiling point occurs because the atmospheric pressure decreases with increasing altitude. As a result, less pressure is exerted on the water molecules, reducing the energy required for them to escape into the gas phase.
The boiling point of water decreases as altitude increases because the atmospheric pressure decreases. At higher altitudes, there is less air pressure pushing down on the water, which lowers the boiling point. To understand why this happens, we can look at the relationship between boiling point and atmospheric pressure.
The boiling point of a liquid is the temperature at which its vapor pressure equals the atmospheric pressure. In simple terms, when the pushing force of the vapor (steam) molecules escaping from a liquid is equal to the pressure exerted by the air around it, the liquid boils.
At sea level, the atmospheric pressure is typically around 1 atmosphere (atm), which is equivalent to about 101.3 kilopascals (kPa). This high pressure at sea level allows the water to reach a boiling point of 100°C.
However, as you go higher in altitude, the atmospheric pressure decreases. At an altitude of 2 km (or 2000 meters), the atmospheric pressure decreases to around 0.8 atm (or 80 kPa). This lower pressure means that the steam molecules don't need as much energy to escape into the atmosphere, so the boiling point of water decreases to 93°C.
Now, if you want to calculate the boiling point of water at any given altitude, you need to know the atmospheric pressure at that altitude. You can find this information from meteorological data or by using altimeters or barometers. Once you have the atmospheric pressure, you can use tables or equations that relate boiling point to pressure (e.g., Antoine equation) to determine the specific boiling point at that altitude.
It's important to note that this explanation assumes standard atmospheric conditions and doesn't take into account other factors like humidity or impurities in the water, which can also affect the boiling point.