Ask Tappity: Science Questions for Kids > What is Condensation?
What is Condensation?
From the water droplets on a cold soda can to rings on a coffee table, condensation is responsible for lots of mysterious appearances of water. But where does that water actually come from, and why? Watch this video to find out, or read our explanation below!
The Air is Full of Water
In the air around you right now, there’s water! You just can’t see it or feel it, because it’s not a liquid - it’s a gas, like the helium you fill a balloon with. When water is in its gaseous form, it's called water vapor. Sometimes there’s a lot, and sometimes there’s not much, but there’s always at least a little bit of water vapor in the air!
When Water Vapor Cools Down, It Condenses
When you boil water, you turn it from a liquid into a gas - that’s called evaporation. If gaseous water vapor cools down enough, it will turn back into a liquid - that’s called condensation. It’s exactly the opposite of evaporation! When the really cold surface of an aluminum can comes into contact with the water vapor in the air, it cools some of them down enough to turn them back into liquid. Those liquid water droplets stick to the side of the can.
Condensation is Everywhere!
Fogging up a window with your breath? That’s the water vapor in your breath condensing upon contact with the cool surface of the window. Can you see your breath because it's so cold outside? Same thing, except the vapor is condensing on tiny dust particles in the air. Steam from a boiling pot is also condensation - it’s not actually water vapor, it’s freshly condensed water vapor that has cooled off after rising away from the heat source.
Condensation Facts for Kids
Got condensation questions? We’ve got condensation answers!
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Fog is a cloud that touches the ground. When there’s lots and lots of water vapor in the air - more than the air can hold - it condenses into fog.
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Fog and mist are the same phenomenon, and the difference is mainly one of thickness. Mist is generally thinner and more transparent, and doesn’t last as long.
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Condensation happens when the water in the air is rapidly cooled, usually against a cold surface. You can reduce it by warming up the room.
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Yes - the water that condenses has nothing else in it, at least at first. Water condensation is a method used to purify water for drinking.
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Yes, it does. Condensation is the reverse of evaporation, which requires heat to happen (you have to heat up water to make it boil). Condensation releases heat, though usually the condensation of water doesn’t release enough heat for you to feel.
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The “smoking” around lots of cold ice is also condensation! The water vapor in the air around the ice is cooled rapidly, making it condense into tiny droplets of water, so small that they float around like smoke.
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