Question

Explain the saying, “It’s not the heat; it’s the humidity.”

Short answer

Temperature rise during hot weather makes the air warmer, and air molecules move faster; this increases the absorption of water as gas. The capturing of water vapor in the air is termed humidity.

During hot weather, the humidity is high, and the weather is uncomfortable compared to the dry heat. Thus, the idiom “It’s not the heat; it’s the humidity” is used.

Step-by-step solution

Warm air and cold air

The hot air has molecules that are continuously and rapidly moving. Due to the fast movement of the molecules, they are away from each other, leading to low density. On the other hand, the cold air has comparatively closer molecules, due to which they are denser and weigh more than the same amount of hot air.

Meaning of heat and humidity

Heat is the energy measured in terms of temperature in the environment. High heat increases the temperature and makes the air warm. High temperatures can often lead to humidity.

Humidity is the measure of water vapor present in the air. Hot air absorbs more water vapor and thus increases humidity. In simpler terms, humidity is the capturing of water as gas by the air.

Effects of heat and humidity

Heat and humidity are different terms and denote different meanings. When the temperature is high, the air readily absorbs water vapor because of the fast movement of air molecules. High humidity in the air makes the weather more problematic, and thus the idiom “It’s not the heat; it’s the humidity” is said.

Dry heat occurswhen there is no water in any form in the air. This is more favorable as high humidity makes the population uncomfortable and also enhances the growth of many pathogenic organisms.