Why does liquid water form when we exhale on a mirror?












2












$begingroup$


In the descriptions below, I always assume external pressure to be constant at 1atm, the condition when daily observations are made.



1) When I exhale on a mirror, liquid water forms on the mirror. That's condensation. Obviously, the temperature of mirror must be <100°C, so for water vapors to condense on mirror does make sense, but why do we have water vapors when our body temperature is also <100°C in the first place?



2) One reason for (1) may be like 'water vapors in air is in equilibrium with liquid water', so some water vapors can exist although T<100°C. If this is correct, based on this reasoning, then why not ice exists at T>0°C? [p=1atm only]



3) If liquid water can evaporate into gas at T<100°C, then why not ice turns into liquid at T<0°C? (I never use the term 'melt' here, just like evaporate≠boil) (both have hydrogen bonds, intermolecular forces should be the same?)



4) When I exhale on a wall, no water droplets form. Why water droplets form on mirror but not on wall(just an example)? The mirror must have same temperature as that of wall, both of them must have achieved thermal equilibrium with surrounding long time ago.










share|improve this question









$endgroup$

















    2












    $begingroup$


    In the descriptions below, I always assume external pressure to be constant at 1atm, the condition when daily observations are made.



    1) When I exhale on a mirror, liquid water forms on the mirror. That's condensation. Obviously, the temperature of mirror must be <100°C, so for water vapors to condense on mirror does make sense, but why do we have water vapors when our body temperature is also <100°C in the first place?



    2) One reason for (1) may be like 'water vapors in air is in equilibrium with liquid water', so some water vapors can exist although T<100°C. If this is correct, based on this reasoning, then why not ice exists at T>0°C? [p=1atm only]



    3) If liquid water can evaporate into gas at T<100°C, then why not ice turns into liquid at T<0°C? (I never use the term 'melt' here, just like evaporate≠boil) (both have hydrogen bonds, intermolecular forces should be the same?)



    4) When I exhale on a wall, no water droplets form. Why water droplets form on mirror but not on wall(just an example)? The mirror must have same temperature as that of wall, both of them must have achieved thermal equilibrium with surrounding long time ago.










    share|improve this question









    $endgroup$















      2












      2








      2





      $begingroup$


      In the descriptions below, I always assume external pressure to be constant at 1atm, the condition when daily observations are made.



      1) When I exhale on a mirror, liquid water forms on the mirror. That's condensation. Obviously, the temperature of mirror must be <100°C, so for water vapors to condense on mirror does make sense, but why do we have water vapors when our body temperature is also <100°C in the first place?



      2) One reason for (1) may be like 'water vapors in air is in equilibrium with liquid water', so some water vapors can exist although T<100°C. If this is correct, based on this reasoning, then why not ice exists at T>0°C? [p=1atm only]



      3) If liquid water can evaporate into gas at T<100°C, then why not ice turns into liquid at T<0°C? (I never use the term 'melt' here, just like evaporate≠boil) (both have hydrogen bonds, intermolecular forces should be the same?)



      4) When I exhale on a wall, no water droplets form. Why water droplets form on mirror but not on wall(just an example)? The mirror must have same temperature as that of wall, both of them must have achieved thermal equilibrium with surrounding long time ago.










      share|improve this question









      $endgroup$




      In the descriptions below, I always assume external pressure to be constant at 1atm, the condition when daily observations are made.



      1) When I exhale on a mirror, liquid water forms on the mirror. That's condensation. Obviously, the temperature of mirror must be <100°C, so for water vapors to condense on mirror does make sense, but why do we have water vapors when our body temperature is also <100°C in the first place?



      2) One reason for (1) may be like 'water vapors in air is in equilibrium with liquid water', so some water vapors can exist although T<100°C. If this is correct, based on this reasoning, then why not ice exists at T>0°C? [p=1atm only]



      3) If liquid water can evaporate into gas at T<100°C, then why not ice turns into liquid at T<0°C? (I never use the term 'melt' here, just like evaporate≠boil) (both have hydrogen bonds, intermolecular forces should be the same?)



      4) When I exhale on a wall, no water droplets form. Why water droplets form on mirror but not on wall(just an example)? The mirror must have same temperature as that of wall, both of them must have achieved thermal equilibrium with surrounding long time ago.







      physical-chemistry phase






      share|improve this question













      share|improve this question











      share|improve this question




      share|improve this question










      asked 2 hours ago









      The99sLearnerThe99sLearner

      6617




      6617






















          1 Answer
          1






          active

          oldest

          votes


















          3












          $begingroup$


          Why do we have water vapors when our body temperature is also <100°C in the first place?




          At normal pressure, water boils at 100°C, meaning that bubbles of pure steam form under water. At lower temperatures, water is in equilibrium between the liquid and the gas phase. The higher the temperature, the higher the vapor pressure, and the higher the equilibrium concentration (partial pressure) of water in air. On the geological scale, there is no equilibrium, and we experience different temperatures, different humidity (related to partial pressure of water in air), and different pressures depending on location.




          Why does ice not exist at T>0°C




          Ice, as a pure solid, and water, as a pure liquid, have defined concentration at given pressure and temperature. Above the melting temperature, all the ice melts, there is no equilibrium. This is different from the liquid:gas equilibrium, which exists at temperatures below the boiling point, with lower and lower concentrations of the gas as the temperature drops.




          If liquid water can evaporate into gas at T<100°C, then why not ice turns into liquid at T<0°C?




          Again, this has to do with pure liquids and pure solids having a constant (or nearly constant) concentration. If you add salt to the liquid, however, ice will turn into liquid below the freezing point (effectively lowering the concentration of water in the liquid). Also, the surface of the ice melts at lower temperature than the bulk, so even for pure water, there can be liquid at temperatures below the bulk freezing point.




          When I exhale on a wall, no water droplets form.




          I would do an experiment and check. I think the water droplets are easier to see on a mirror. Try a grand piano (i.e a smooth surface painted with shiny black paint), you might see the water droplets there as well. Or take a long hot shower and check whether water droplets form on surfaces other than a mirror.






          share|improve this answer









          $endgroup$













            Your Answer





            StackExchange.ifUsing("editor", function () {
            return StackExchange.using("mathjaxEditing", function () {
            StackExchange.MarkdownEditor.creationCallbacks.add(function (editor, postfix) {
            StackExchange.mathjaxEditing.prepareWmdForMathJax(editor, postfix, [["$", "$"], ["\\(","\\)"]]);
            });
            });
            }, "mathjax-editing");

            StackExchange.ready(function() {
            var channelOptions = {
            tags: "".split(" "),
            id: "431"
            };
            initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);

            StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function() {
            // Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
            if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled) {
            StackExchange.using("snippets", function() {
            createEditor();
            });
            }
            else {
            createEditor();
            }
            });

            function createEditor() {
            StackExchange.prepareEditor({
            heartbeatType: 'answer',
            autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
            convertImagesToLinks: false,
            noModals: true,
            showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
            reputationToPostImages: null,
            bindNavPrevention: true,
            postfix: "",
            imageUploader: {
            brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
            contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
            allowUrls: true
            },
            onDemand: true,
            discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
            ,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
            });


            }
            });














            draft saved

            draft discarded


















            StackExchange.ready(
            function () {
            StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fchemistry.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f110791%2fwhy-does-liquid-water-form-when-we-exhale-on-a-mirror%23new-answer', 'question_page');
            }
            );

            Post as a guest















            Required, but never shown

























            1 Answer
            1






            active

            oldest

            votes








            1 Answer
            1






            active

            oldest

            votes









            active

            oldest

            votes






            active

            oldest

            votes









            3












            $begingroup$


            Why do we have water vapors when our body temperature is also <100°C in the first place?




            At normal pressure, water boils at 100°C, meaning that bubbles of pure steam form under water. At lower temperatures, water is in equilibrium between the liquid and the gas phase. The higher the temperature, the higher the vapor pressure, and the higher the equilibrium concentration (partial pressure) of water in air. On the geological scale, there is no equilibrium, and we experience different temperatures, different humidity (related to partial pressure of water in air), and different pressures depending on location.




            Why does ice not exist at T>0°C




            Ice, as a pure solid, and water, as a pure liquid, have defined concentration at given pressure and temperature. Above the melting temperature, all the ice melts, there is no equilibrium. This is different from the liquid:gas equilibrium, which exists at temperatures below the boiling point, with lower and lower concentrations of the gas as the temperature drops.




            If liquid water can evaporate into gas at T<100°C, then why not ice turns into liquid at T<0°C?




            Again, this has to do with pure liquids and pure solids having a constant (or nearly constant) concentration. If you add salt to the liquid, however, ice will turn into liquid below the freezing point (effectively lowering the concentration of water in the liquid). Also, the surface of the ice melts at lower temperature than the bulk, so even for pure water, there can be liquid at temperatures below the bulk freezing point.




            When I exhale on a wall, no water droplets form.




            I would do an experiment and check. I think the water droplets are easier to see on a mirror. Try a grand piano (i.e a smooth surface painted with shiny black paint), you might see the water droplets there as well. Or take a long hot shower and check whether water droplets form on surfaces other than a mirror.






            share|improve this answer









            $endgroup$


















              3












              $begingroup$


              Why do we have water vapors when our body temperature is also <100°C in the first place?




              At normal pressure, water boils at 100°C, meaning that bubbles of pure steam form under water. At lower temperatures, water is in equilibrium between the liquid and the gas phase. The higher the temperature, the higher the vapor pressure, and the higher the equilibrium concentration (partial pressure) of water in air. On the geological scale, there is no equilibrium, and we experience different temperatures, different humidity (related to partial pressure of water in air), and different pressures depending on location.




              Why does ice not exist at T>0°C




              Ice, as a pure solid, and water, as a pure liquid, have defined concentration at given pressure and temperature. Above the melting temperature, all the ice melts, there is no equilibrium. This is different from the liquid:gas equilibrium, which exists at temperatures below the boiling point, with lower and lower concentrations of the gas as the temperature drops.




              If liquid water can evaporate into gas at T<100°C, then why not ice turns into liquid at T<0°C?




              Again, this has to do with pure liquids and pure solids having a constant (or nearly constant) concentration. If you add salt to the liquid, however, ice will turn into liquid below the freezing point (effectively lowering the concentration of water in the liquid). Also, the surface of the ice melts at lower temperature than the bulk, so even for pure water, there can be liquid at temperatures below the bulk freezing point.




              When I exhale on a wall, no water droplets form.




              I would do an experiment and check. I think the water droplets are easier to see on a mirror. Try a grand piano (i.e a smooth surface painted with shiny black paint), you might see the water droplets there as well. Or take a long hot shower and check whether water droplets form on surfaces other than a mirror.






              share|improve this answer









              $endgroup$
















                3












                3








                3





                $begingroup$


                Why do we have water vapors when our body temperature is also <100°C in the first place?




                At normal pressure, water boils at 100°C, meaning that bubbles of pure steam form under water. At lower temperatures, water is in equilibrium between the liquid and the gas phase. The higher the temperature, the higher the vapor pressure, and the higher the equilibrium concentration (partial pressure) of water in air. On the geological scale, there is no equilibrium, and we experience different temperatures, different humidity (related to partial pressure of water in air), and different pressures depending on location.




                Why does ice not exist at T>0°C




                Ice, as a pure solid, and water, as a pure liquid, have defined concentration at given pressure and temperature. Above the melting temperature, all the ice melts, there is no equilibrium. This is different from the liquid:gas equilibrium, which exists at temperatures below the boiling point, with lower and lower concentrations of the gas as the temperature drops.




                If liquid water can evaporate into gas at T<100°C, then why not ice turns into liquid at T<0°C?




                Again, this has to do with pure liquids and pure solids having a constant (or nearly constant) concentration. If you add salt to the liquid, however, ice will turn into liquid below the freezing point (effectively lowering the concentration of water in the liquid). Also, the surface of the ice melts at lower temperature than the bulk, so even for pure water, there can be liquid at temperatures below the bulk freezing point.




                When I exhale on a wall, no water droplets form.




                I would do an experiment and check. I think the water droplets are easier to see on a mirror. Try a grand piano (i.e a smooth surface painted with shiny black paint), you might see the water droplets there as well. Or take a long hot shower and check whether water droplets form on surfaces other than a mirror.






                share|improve this answer









                $endgroup$




                Why do we have water vapors when our body temperature is also <100°C in the first place?




                At normal pressure, water boils at 100°C, meaning that bubbles of pure steam form under water. At lower temperatures, water is in equilibrium between the liquid and the gas phase. The higher the temperature, the higher the vapor pressure, and the higher the equilibrium concentration (partial pressure) of water in air. On the geological scale, there is no equilibrium, and we experience different temperatures, different humidity (related to partial pressure of water in air), and different pressures depending on location.




                Why does ice not exist at T>0°C




                Ice, as a pure solid, and water, as a pure liquid, have defined concentration at given pressure and temperature. Above the melting temperature, all the ice melts, there is no equilibrium. This is different from the liquid:gas equilibrium, which exists at temperatures below the boiling point, with lower and lower concentrations of the gas as the temperature drops.




                If liquid water can evaporate into gas at T<100°C, then why not ice turns into liquid at T<0°C?




                Again, this has to do with pure liquids and pure solids having a constant (or nearly constant) concentration. If you add salt to the liquid, however, ice will turn into liquid below the freezing point (effectively lowering the concentration of water in the liquid). Also, the surface of the ice melts at lower temperature than the bulk, so even for pure water, there can be liquid at temperatures below the bulk freezing point.




                When I exhale on a wall, no water droplets form.




                I would do an experiment and check. I think the water droplets are easier to see on a mirror. Try a grand piano (i.e a smooth surface painted with shiny black paint), you might see the water droplets there as well. Or take a long hot shower and check whether water droplets form on surfaces other than a mirror.







                share|improve this answer












                share|improve this answer



                share|improve this answer










                answered 1 hour ago









                Karsten TheisKarsten Theis

                2,344327




                2,344327






























                    draft saved

                    draft discarded




















































                    Thanks for contributing an answer to Chemistry Stack Exchange!


                    • Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!

                    But avoid



                    • Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.

                    • Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.


                    Use MathJax to format equations. MathJax reference.


                    To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.




                    draft saved


                    draft discarded














                    StackExchange.ready(
                    function () {
                    StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fchemistry.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f110791%2fwhy-does-liquid-water-form-when-we-exhale-on-a-mirror%23new-answer', 'question_page');
                    }
                    );

                    Post as a guest















                    Required, but never shown





















































                    Required, but never shown














                    Required, but never shown












                    Required, but never shown







                    Required, but never shown

































                    Required, but never shown














                    Required, but never shown












                    Required, but never shown







                    Required, but never shown







                    Popular posts from this blog

                    GameSpot

                    日野市

                    Tu-95轟炸機