Question

What process changes water vapor to a liquid? A. condensation B. evaporation C. infiltration D. precipitation

Short answer

A. condensation

Step-by-step solution

Understand the Process Described

The exercise asks for the process that changes water vapor, which is a gas, into a liquid. This transformation implies a transition from a gaseous state to a liquid state.

Review Each Option

- A. **Condensation** is the process where water vapor becomes liquid water. - B. **Evaporation** is when liquid water changes to water vapor. - C. **Infiltration** is water entering soil or rocks. - D. **Precipitation** involves water falling from clouds as rain, sleet, or snow.

Identify the Correct Process

The correct change from water vapor (gas) to liquid water is **Condensation**. This involves cooling of water vapor to form liquid droplets, like clouds forming or dew on grass.

Select the Correct Answer

Given the review, the best answer to this process is **A. condensation**.

Key concepts

Water Cycle

The water cycle is nature's way of recycling water on Earth. It describes how water moves from one place to another, changing form along the way. This cycle is crucial for maintaining life and weather patterns. The water cycle includes several key processes:

• Evaporation: The sun's heat turns water from oceans, lakes, and rivers into water vapor—an invisible gas.
• Condensation: Water vapor cools down and changes back into tiny droplets of liquid water, forming clouds.
• Precipitation: When clouds get heavy, water falls back to Earth as rain, snow, sleet, or hail.
• Infiltration: Some of the precipitated water seeps into the ground, replenishing groundwater supplies.

These processes are continuous, working together to circulate water through Earth's atmosphere, surface, and underground. By understanding the water cycle, we can better appreciate how water sustains life and plays a role in our environment.

Phase Change

Phase change is the process of a substance changing from one state of matter to another. In the context of the exercise, we focused on the phase change from gas to liquid, known as condensation. Let's break down the basic types of phase changes:

• Melting: The change from solid to liquid. Think of ice turning into water.
• Freezing: Liquid to solid, such as water turning into ice.
• Evaporation: Liquid to gas, like water boiling to form steam.
• Condensation: Gas to liquid, for instance, water vapor forming droplets on a cold glass.
• Sublimation: Solid directly to gas, such as dry ice becoming carbon dioxide gas.
• Deposition: Gas directly to solid, like frost forming on a cold surface.

Phase changes occur due to energy changes—either absorption or release. Understanding phase changes is essential in explaining natural phenomena and everyday occurrences.

State of Matter

Matter exists in different forms called states of matter. Typically, we refer to three common states—solid, liquid, and gas. Each state has unique properties based on how its particles interact:

• Solid: Particles are closely packed, often in a regular pattern. Solids hold a definite shape and volume.
• Liquid: Particles are close together with no definite pattern. Liquids have a definite volume but take the shape of their container.
• Gas: Particles are far apart and move freely. Gases fill the volume and shape of their container.

The state of matter changes when energy, typically in the form of heat, is added or removed. This change in energy affects the movement of particles in a substance, causing it to transition between different states. Understanding these states helps us explain how and why substances behave differently under various conditions.