# temp of steam

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temp-of-steam/3161>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 9, 1999, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temp-of-steam/3161 "1999-09-09T20:33:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Squid\_Vicious](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Squid\_Vicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squid_Vicious)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 1999, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temp-of-steam/3161/41 "1999-09-11T14:13:00Z")

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Sunbear, The ideal gas law is not really usefull in this situation. For one thing water is far from an ideal gas. However it would work as a close enough approximation as long as you stayed within the gas phase area of the phase diagram. Also, we’re not talking about a closed system. The pressure is constant at 1 atm and the volume of the water increases about 1000 times from water to steam. The easiest way to find the **saturation** pressure of water at a certain temp is to use either a steam table or a phase diagram. Once again though, for practical purposes you would apply them for a closed system. It doesn’t work for this system.

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“If you stick your finger in a pie, whatever is in the pie will be on your finger, and whatever is on your finger will be in the pie…unless you wear a rubber glove”----some demented old lady

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**Author:** ![Poto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ab992/32.png) [@Poto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poto)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 1999, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temp-of-steam/3161/42 "1999-09-11T15:27:00Z")

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Well, use any table then.

Continuing with steam/sauna, I have a report of 120 deg C in a sauna.Nobody was in it, but it broke the thermometer at that point. They used to kill lice in the Finnish army(about 1940) with this method, from clothing, not people.

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**Author:** ![Undead\_Dude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e19adc/32.png) [@Undead\_Dude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Undead_Dude)\
**Post date:** [September 12, 1999, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temp-of-steam/3161/43 "1999-09-12T03:25:00Z")

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Geez. And of course I meant Mr Thin Skin, not Mr Thin Line. Our A/C was out for a few days, and I think all this talk about heat was making me loopy. 🙂

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