Which process occurs when water vapor cools and condenses to form clouds?

Which process occurs when water vapor cools and condenses to form clouds?

• A. Condensation
• B. Evaporation
• C. Sublimation
• D. Precipitation

Answer: (A)

Condensation is the process where water vapor in the air loses enough energy to change into liquid water. As moist air rises and cools, water vapor molecules slow down and cling together around tiny particles in the air, forming liquid droplets that make up clouds. Evaporation would be liquid becoming vapor, not forming clouds directly. Sublimation is solid turning directly into gas, and precipitation is the falling rain or snow that happens after droplets in the cloud grow too large. So the described step—vapor cooling and turning into liquid droplets that create clouds—is condensation.

Condensation is the process where water vapor in the air loses enough energy to change into liquid water. As moist air rises and cools, water vapor molecules slow down and cling together around tiny particles in the air, forming liquid droplets that make up clouds. Evaporation would be liquid becoming vapor, not forming clouds directly. Sublimation is solid turning directly into gas, and precipitation is the falling rain or snow that happens after droplets in the cloud grow too large. So the described step—vapor cooling and turning into liquid droplets that create clouds—is condensation.