Question

For a certain sample of soil it took 30 minutes for 300ml of water to percolate. Calculate the rate of percolation

Answer 1

Explanation:

Percolation is the property of absorption of water by soil.

If we pour a bottle of water on the floor and another bottle of water in the soil, the water on the floor will flow down but water in the soil will be absorbed.

The percolation rate is the amount of water absorbed by any soil at any given time.

Formula for calculating percolation rate is,

Percolation rate (ml/min) = amount of water (ml) / percolation time (min).

For example, If 200 ml of water is percolated through the soil sample in 40 min. Calculate the rate of percolation.

Solution – Rate of percolation is = amount of water (ml)/ percolation time (min)

= 200 ml/ 40 min

= 5 ml/ min

Ans- The rate of percolation is 5 ml/ min.

Answer 2

Given:

Amount of water that percolated into the soil = 300 mL

Time taken to percolate = 30 mins

To find:

Rate of percolation = ?

Step-wise solution:

Let's start with a basic understanding of the percolation rate and its importance.

• Percolation is the process through which water moves deeper into the earth by passing through the soil.
• The time it takes for a particular amount of water to soak into the soil is known as the rate of percolation. It is expressed in mins/mL or mins/inch.
• The percolation rate is important in agriculture because it indicates the porosity of the soil and its ability to absorb fluid.

The rate of percolation can be calculated based on following formula:

Rate of percolation (mL/ min) = Amount of water (mL) ÷ Time taken to percolate (min)

Rate of percolation (mL/min) = 300 mL ÷ 30 mins

                                                = 10 mL/mins

Hence, the percolation rate for given sample of soil is 10 mL/mins.