200 ml of water was taken in a measuring cylinder. This water was added dropwise to 120 g of dry soil kept on filter paper in a funnel. When the water just started dripping from the funnel, the amount of water left in the measuring cylinder was found to be 140 mL. Calculate the percentage of water absorbed by this soil.

Answer

To solve the problem of calculating the percentage of water absorbed by the soil, we can follow these steps:

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Identify the Total Amount of Water Initially**:
- We started with 200 mL of water in the measuring cylinder.

2. **Determine the Amount of Water Remaining**:
- After adding water dropwise to the soil, the amount of water left in the measuring cylinder is 140 mL.

3. **Calculate the Amount of Water Absorbed by the Soil**:
- To find out how much water was absorbed by the soil, we subtract the remaining water from the initial amount:
\[ \text{Water Absorbed} = \text{Initial Water} - \text{Remaining Water} = 200 \, \text{mL} - 140 \, \text{mL} = 60 \, \text{mL} \]

4. **Calculate the Percentage of Water Absorbed**:
- The percentage of water absorbed by the soil can be calculated using the formula:
\[ \text{Percentage of Water Absorbed} = \left( \frac{\text{Water Absorbed}}{\text{Total Water}} \right) \times 100 \]
- Plugging in the values:
\[ \text{Percentage of Water Absorbed} = \left( \frac{60 \, \text{mL}}{200 \, \text{mL}} \right) \times 100 = 30\% \]

5. **Conclusion**:
- The percentage of water absorbed by the soil is **30%**.