Soil Water Movement Name____________

Problem Set #1
 
 
 
 
 
container weight (g)
wet wt (g) of 4 mL
dry wt (g)
soil 1
1.427
6.236
5.257
soil 2
1.380
6.181
5.728
soil 3
1.411
4.286
3.181

     
    1. For each soil, calculate the volumetric (Q) and gravimetric (w) water content, the bulk density (rb) and the porosity (f ). Assume a particle density (rs) of 2.65 Mg/m3.  [The wet and dry weights above include the weight of the container.]

    Which soil is probably high in organic matter? Which soil probably has the greatest error in the porosity measurement?
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

    2. The density of Hg is 13.53 Mg/m3 (g/cm3) and its surface tension is 0.47 N m-1. In a similar size capillary, would Hg rise more or less than water? Why? How about ethanol which has a density of 0.79 Mg/m3 and a surface tension of 2.28 x 10-2 N m-1? Assume that the contact angle would still be 0 (would it?).
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

    3. Gravity on the moon is 1.62 m s-2. Using the capillary rise formula, how high would H2O rise in a 1 mm capillary? [Gravity on Jupiter is about 2.5 x earth's and on the sun it is about 28 x earth's but also too hot to measure capillary rise.]