The Water Cycle
Evaporation
Evaporation is when a liquid gets so hot it turns into a gas. Another word for gas is vapour. So when water is in the form of a gas we can call it water vapour. Evaporation comes from the word vapour.
When water starts to boil in a kettle the water begins to turn into a vapour. (It starts to evaporate.) We can see the water vapour leave the kettle. Steam is another name for this hot water vapour.
When water starts to boil in a kettle the water begins to turn into a vapour. (It starts to evaporate.) We can see the water vapour leave the kettle. Steam is another name for this hot water vapour.
Photo from Pixabay is in the public domain.
Condensation
Condensation is when a gas gets so cold it turns into a liquid. As water vapour cools down it condenses into a liquid.
If you have a very cold drink in a glass, you may see condensation happen if water droplets start forming on the outside of your glass. This happens because the water vapour in the warm air that touches the cold glass quickly cools down enough that it turns into liquid. |
Click on the picture to find out more about each stage of the water cycle.