What are the Factors Affecting Evaporation

Answer: Evaporation is the process of a liquid changing into vapor even when it is below its boiling point.

It is the transformation of a liquid into vapors at any temperature below its boiling point. Spread water on the floor dissipates over a period of time, even when the temperature of the floor’s surface is significantly lower than the boiling point of water.

Factors affecting evaporation:

• Temperature:

Although water can evaporate at low temperatures, as the temperature rises, the rate of evaporation increases. This makes sense because, at greater temperatures, more molecules move quicker, so a molecule with enough energy to break out of the liquid and form gas is more likely.

• Surface area:

Because evaporation is a surface phenomenon, the more surface area occupied by a liquid, the faster it evaporates. 

Evaporation is influenced by surface area because increased surface area exposed to air allows water molecules to absorb more heat energy from the environment. The water molecules move more quickly as a result of the increased heat energy (kinetic energy), which helps them overcome the force of attraction and evaporate.

• Humidity:

Evaporation is also affected by humidity, or the amount of water vapor in the air. The lower the relative humidity, the dryer the air is and the faster it evaporates. The higher the humidity, the closer the air is to saturation, and less evaporation is possible.

• Wind speed:

With rising wind speeds, the rate of evaporation of liquid increases. When the wind speed increases, the water vapor particles travel away with the wind, reducing the amount of water vapor in the environment. This increases the rate of water evaporation.