Atmospheric Moisture Practice Test

When observing condensation drops forming on a glass filled with ice and water, you are witnessing the process of condensation occurring. This process involves water vapor in the air transitioning into liquid water.

On a hot, humid day, the air contains a significant amount of moisture. When the warm, humid air comes into contact with the cold surface of the glass, the temperature of the air near the glass drops. As the air cools, it can no longer hold all of the moisture in vapor form; hence, the water vapor condenses into tiny droplets on the glass surface. This is a direct transformation from vapor to liquid state, marking condensation.

The other processes mentioned involve different changes in states of water: evaporation would occur if water were turning from liquid to vapor, deposition would involve water vapor transitioning directly to ice (bypassing the liquid state), and sublimation is the process where solid ice transitions directly into vapor without becoming liquid first. None of these processes are happening on the exterior of the glass in this scenario, making condensation the correct choice.