Mondo Knows Facts
Evaporation cools whatever is left behind
The fastest molecules escape as vapour, lowering the average energy of the rest Molecules in a liquid move at a spread of speeds. Only the quickest can break free from the surface, and when they leave they carry their energy with them. The remaining liquid is therefore cooler, which is why wet skin feels cold and why sweating works. It sits in Mondo's science collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.
Where this comes from
Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.
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Plasma is the most common state of matterStars and glowing gas are plasma, so most visible matter is ionisedA Bose-Einstein condensate behaves as one atomCooled to within a fraction of a kelvin, some atoms merge into a single quantum stateDry ice turns straight from solid to gasFrozen carbon dioxide skips the liquid stage at ordinary air pressureHeat and temperature are not the same thingTemperature is average particle energy, while heat is energy on the moveWater needs a lot of heat to warm upWater has one of the highest specific heat capacities of any common substanceHeat moves in three distinct waysConduction passes energy through contact, convection carries it in fluids, radiation needs no medium
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Tags: physics, matter, heat
Evaporation cools whatever is left behind: the short answers
- Where does this come from, and can I check it?
- The fastest molecules escape as vapour, lowering the average energy of the rest. The figure is taken from Encyclopaedia Britannica, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
- Is this really a science fact?
- Yes. It sits on the Science shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
- What else can I read about it?
- The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.