Re: Terminology Confusion

[Doug Craigen <dcc@ESCAPE.CA>]

> If I have a closed container, with gas at some pressure and temperature,
> and a pool of water at the bottom, I eventually reach an equilibrium state
> wherein the vapor leaving the water is the same as the vapor entering the
> water.
>
> My confusion: Is the gas above the water saturated with water vapor?

I would not have used this terminology because the word "saturation"
suggests to me a property of the thing being saturated - ie the amount
of water vapor that the gas can hold.  So how much does the partial
pressure of the water vapor vary with the gas composition above the
water?  For example, how does it compare with starting from a vacuum?

However, a quick look around through books and physics web sites did
find lots of examples of terms such as "saturation pressure" at
http://www.msoe.edu/~tritt/be381/humidity.html so maybe I'm in a
minority.

I'm sure we'll soon be hearing from others with stronger and more
eloquent opinions.

**Doug I-only-breath-ideal-gases Craigen

          Latest Project - the Physics E-source
          http://www.dctech.com/physics/