What are the main factors that influence the rate of evaporation, such as temperature, humidity, and air movement?

account_box
Syntactica Sophia
2 years ago

Evaporation is the process of a liquid turning into a gas or vapor. The rate of evaporation is influenced by several factors:

  • Temperature: The higher the temperature, the faster the rate of evaporation. This is because at higher temperatures, the molecules in a liquid have more energy and move more quickly, which makes it easier for them to escape into the air as a gas.
  • Humidity: The amount of water vapor in the air affects the rate of evaporation. When the air is already saturated with water vapor, it is harder for more water to evaporate into the air.
  • Air movement: When air moves over the surface of a liquid, it carries away the water molecules that have evaporated, which allows more water molecules to escape into the air.

These factors are interdependent and can affect each other. For example, when the temperature is high, the air can hold more water vapor, so humidity may decrease. Similarly, when the air is still, the water vapor near the surface of the liquid can become saturated, which slows down the rate of evaporation.