Question

the universal space agency wants to know the results of your sim investigation. write your report to the lead chemist, explaining why drops of liquid water appeared on the outside of the cold, but not the warm, soda can. use evidence from your investigation in your explanation.

Explanation:

To explain the phenomenon, we use the concept of condensation (a key process in Chemistry, specifically in the subfield of Chemistry as it involves the physical state change of water vapor). The air around the cans contains water vapor (gaseous water). When the cold soda can is present, its low temperature causes the water vapor in the surrounding air to lose heat (the cold can acts as a cold surface). As the water vapor loses heat, it changes from a gas to a liquid (condensation), forming liquid water droplets on the outside of the cold can. In contrast, the warm soda can has a temperature close to or higher than the surrounding air's temperature, so the water vapor in the air does not lose enough heat to condense onto it, hence no liquid water droplets form. Evidence from the investigation (like observing the temperature difference between the cans and the air, and the presence/absence of droplets) supports this: the cold can’s temperature was low enough to trigger condensation, while the warm can’s temperature was not.

Answer:

The phenomenon occurs due to condensation. Air contains water vapor (gaseous water). The cold soda can has a low temperature, causing surrounding water vapor to lose heat and change from gas to liquid (condense) into water droplets on its surface. The warm can’s temperature is too high for water vapor to lose enough heat to condense, so no droplets form. Investigation evidence (e.g., temperature differences, droplet presence/absence) confirms this: cold can’s low temp triggers condensation, warm can’s temp does not.