Condensation happens when water in the air, called water vapor, cools down and turns back into liquid water!
Think of it like this:
What is Condensation?
Condensation is when water goes from being a gas (like steam) to a liquid (like water in a glass). The reference tells us that condensation is the process by which water vapor (water in its gas form) turns into liquid.
How Does it Work?
- Water vapor is everywhere: Water vapor is in the air all around us. You can't see it, but it's there!
- Cooling down: When water vapor touches something cold, like a cold glass of lemonade, it loses its heat and cools down.
- Coming together: As it cools, the molecules of water vapor cool and collect together as liquid water. Instead of bouncing around like crazy in the air, the water molecules slow down and stick together, forming little droplets.
- Seeing the droplets: You see those tiny droplets as condensation!
Where Can You See Condensation?
You can see condensation in lots of places!
- Cold glasses: The outside of a cold glass gets water droplets on it. The reference mentions the outside of cold glasses.
- Windows: During the winter, you might see water droplets on the inside of your windows. The reference states that you might see water vapor on the warm side of windows.
- Clouds: Clouds are made of tiny water droplets that formed when water vapor in the air cooled down way up high! The reference mentions clouds up in the air.
- Mirrors: After a hot shower, the mirror in the bathroom often fogs up. That's condensation too!
Why is Condensation Important?
Condensation is important because it's part of the water cycle. The water cycle is how water moves all around the Earth, from the oceans to the clouds to the rain, and back again! Condensation helps make clouds, which bring us rain and snow.
