MARIEL B.

CONDESA
RELATIVE HUMIDITY LAB

Problem: What is the dewpoint and relative humidity of the inside air
compared to the outside air?
Background: Relative humidity is a measure of the amount of water vapor present in
the air compared to the amount needed for saturation at a specific temperature.
Meteorologists use psychrometers to measure relative humidity. A psychrometer is a
device made with two thermometers, one with a wet bulb and the other with a dry bulb.
Determining the relative humidity can help to predict how comfortable one will feel on
a hot day or whether dew will form on the ground. The temperature at which air is
saturated and condensation forms is the dew point. Dew point changes with the amount
of water vapor in the air; meteorologists determine the dew point to know what
temperature the air must be cooled to in order for condensation to occur (cloud
formation).
Hypothesis:

Materials: Cotton ball, two thermometers and water

Procedure:
1. Wrap the cotton ball around the end of one of the thermometers.
2. Dip the cotton ball in water (make sure it is wet but not dripping).
3. Fan both thermometers until the temperatures stabilize.
4. Record the temperatures (in Celsius).
5. Subtract the difference between the dry and wet bulb; record this
value in the chart below. 6. Determine the relative humidity and dew
point using the charts provided by your teacher. 7. Repeat the process
to determine the relative humidity and dew point outside.

Data Chart: CLASSROOM

Trial # Dry-Bulb Wet-Bulb Dry- Relative Dew Point
Temperature Temperature Bulb Humidity (Use D.P.
(Celsius) (Celsius) minus (Use R.H. Chart)
Wet chart)
Bulb

1 37 33 4 31.0 16

2 40 37 3 31.3 16
 Average 74 69 49.7 30 0

Data Chart: WEATHER PERMITTING - OUTSIDE

Trial # Dry-Bulb Wet-Bulb Dry- Relative Dew
Temperature Temperature Bulb Humidity Point
minus (Use R.H. (Use
Wet chart) D.P.
Bulb Chart)

1 40 35 5 31.7 19

2 38 35 3 31.3 20

Average 70 68 1.0 40 1.0

Conclusion:
1. Define “relative humidity.”
Answer: The ratio of the amount of water vapor actually present in the air to the
greatest amount possible at the same temperature
2. Define “dew point.”
Answer: the temperature at which a condensable component of a gas starts to
condense into liquid.
3. Identify the process where water changes from a liquid to a gas.
Answer: It becomes changes because of Evaporation which is the processing
that liquid turns into a gas.
4. Energy is being released/absorbed (circle one) from the above process.
Answer: Energy is released when new bonds form in products.
5. Is there always the same amount of water vapor in the air? Explain.
Answer: There are large amounts of water vapor in the air but it doesn't usually
get there by boiling water. Most of the vapor that is in the air evaporated from the
surface of the oceans.
6. Why is the wet bulb thermometer registering a different temperature
than the dry bulb thermometer?
Answer: The evaporation rate of the wet bandage on the bulb and the
temperature is difference between the dry bulbs because it is depending
only on the humidity of the air.
7. If the difference between the temperature readings on the two
thermometers is large, is the relative humidity high or low? Explain
Answer: So the relative humidity is lower and there was NO difference
between the readings of the wet bulb and the dry bulb thermometers.

8. What would the relative humidity reading be if the wet bulb and dry bulb
thermometers recorded the same temperature? Explain.

Answer: The relative humidity reading be if the wet bulb and dry bulb
thermometers recorded the same temperature is that the wet bulb have
lower temperature than the dry bulb.

9. Identify the variables and constants in the humidity experiment. List

them in the data table below. (Variables—things that changed)
(Constants—things that stayed the same)

Variables Constants

The temperature is The color of the cotton is still remaining in short there is
changes. no changes it.

The weight of the cotton. Temperature reading