Soil Dry Percolation Rate

We cut off the top of the three water bottles. We used the part that we cut off as the funnel for this experiment. We then placed a small piece of filter paper into the neck of the water bottle. We then filled the three water bottle tops with our soil, sand and clay leaving 1 cm room on the top. The cross sectional area of the funnel for all three water bottles is 33.16625 centimeters squared. We then added water to each sample and recorded the elapsed time from when the water hits the surface to the time a measurable amount of water collected on the bottom of the bottle. We then collected the water volume for each material. The soil's water volume was 71.8mL and the elapsed time was 26.5 seconds. The sand's water volume was 52.9 mL and the elapsed time was 33.2 seconds. The clay's water volume was 63.5 mL and the elapsed time was 29.0 seconds. Soil has the fastest percolation rate. Soils with smaller clasts also have greater water holding capacity. Clay had the second fastest percolation rate. Clay will have a more rapid high peak response to water than sand. Sand will have an attenuated response. Sand has a greater grain diameter which will make the water take longer to filter through because it will have a greater frictional resistance. Since we determined earlier that our soil is mostly clay, this is why our dirt had the fastest percolation rate.

All three materials after we added water. 

The clay when it had water poured into it

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The sand when we added water

The dirt as we added water to it

The dirt before we added any water