Question

Late on an autumn day, the relative humidity is 45.0%, and the temperature is [Math Processing Error]. What will the relative humidity be that evening when the temperature has dropped to [Math Processing Error], assuming constant water vapor density?

a) 55.8%
b) 45.0%
c) 34.2%
d) 23.4%

Answer 1

The relative humidity will increase when the temperature drops from 20.0°C to 10.0°C, assuming constant water vapor density, because colder air has a lower capacity to hold water vapor before becoming saturated.

Step-by-step explanation:

When the temperature drops but the water vapor density stays constant, the relative humidity increases because cold air can hold less moisture before it reaches saturation.

In this case, when the temperature drops from 20.0°C to 10.0°C with constant water vapor density, we need to understand that relative humidity is the ratio of the partial pressure of water vapor in the air to the saturation vapor pressure at a given temperature.

We can calculate the new relative humidity using the fact that the saturation vapor pressure decreases with temperature.

Without the actual saturation vapor pressures at 20.0°C and 10.0°C, we can't provide a specific numerical answer. However, the relative humidity will be higher than the initial 45.0% at 10.0°C.