How does condensation work?
The water vapor in the air freezes back into a liquid when it touches the cool surface.
How does evaporation work?
When heat is applied to water and it turns into water vapor, a gas.
Define a closed system and an open system.
Closed system: When components of a system are contained in a certain space.
Open system: a system that does not have boundaries
How does precipitation work?
Explain what happened when we mixed salt into water.
It dissolved.
Why are waterbottles mostly wet?
Water vapor in the air condenses.
Define humidity and where it comes from.
Humidity comes from water vapor from evaporation. It takes the form of water in the air.
How does dissolving work?
The dissolving substance splits into small pieces, too small to see.
Give an example of a closed system and an open system from our experiments.
It's evaporation, not condensation
Which factors affect the speed of evaporation?
If the surface area of the water increases, the longer it takes to evaporate. Also, the temperature of water matters.
Explain how our two bottle systems work.
The water would evaporate, then pool and fall back down.
Why is ice slippery?
The friction on the ice causes a very thin layer of water to develop on top.
Do all liquids evaporate?
Yes, but some liquids evaporate faster than others/
The water evaporates into water vapor, which condensates and precipitates into clouds, which fall back into the bodies of water.
What is the "dew point"?
The temperature at which air can no longer hold any more water. Below this temperature the water comes out of the air in the form of drops. The temperature at which condensation occurs is known as the dew point. (Dew is simply water condensed in the atmosphere.)
What is the boiling point of water?
212f or 100c.
How can there be clouds in winter when it is too cold for water to stay a vapor?
Clouds are not made of water vapor.
What is crystallization's role in the water cycle?
Crystallization can be seen in the formation of snowflakes from water vapor in the atmosphere which falls during precipitation.
Explain our mini lakes.
We created the mini lakes out of gravel, sand, water and rocks. Later, we added salt. Once we took off the lid, all the water evaporated and the salt was left behind.