condensation

thumb|right|Condensation forming in the low pressure zone above the wing of an aircraft during landing due to adiabatic process|adiabatic expansion

AI overview

Condensation is the process where water vapor in the air turns into liquid water droplets, often visible as clouds or fog. It matters because it's a key part of the water cycle and weather patterns, and understanding it helps explain everyday phenomena like why your bathroom mirror gets foggy or why clouds form around airplane wings.

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Commons category: Condensation
Digital Atlas of Idaho URL: digitalatlas.cose.isu.edu/clima/imaging/conden.htm

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~6 min read

Article

10 sections

Contents

Initiation
Reversibility scenarios
Most common scenarios
Measurement
Applications of condensation
Biological adaptation
Condensation in building construction
Table
See also
References

thumb|right|Condensation forming in the low pressure zone above the wing of an aircraft during landing due to adiabatic process|adiabatic expansion

Condensation is the change of the state of matter from the gas phase into the liquid phase, and is the reverse of vaporization. The word most often refers to the water cycle. It can also be defined as the change in the state of water vapor to liquid water when in contact with a liquid or solid surface or cloud condensation nuclei within the atmosphere. When the transition happens from the gaseous phase into the solid phase directly, the change is called deposition. Condensation is usually associated with water.