Question

Consider some water droplets. The droplets flow to a larger body of water such as a pond or lake. From there, the droplet changes from the liquid to the vapor phase via the process of evaporation (the sun) and goes into the atmosphere. In the atmosphere, the droplets are condensed back into the liquid phase in the form of clouds. When a large enough amount of water has been collected in the clouds, it falls back onto the ground or body of water in the form of rain and the cycle continues over and over. What is the process by which water droplets change from the liquid to the vapor phase?

1) Condensation
2) Evaporation
3) Precipitation
4) Transpiration

Answer 1

Water droplets change from the liquid to the vapor phase through evaporation, a key part of the water cycle powered by the Sun's energy.

Step-by-step explanation:

The process by which water droplets change from the liquid to the vapor phase is known as evaporation. The Sun's energy warms the oceans and other surface waters, which leads to the evaporation of liquid surface water and sublimation of frozen water, effectively transferring large amounts of water into the atmosphere as water vapor. This vapor then cools, condenses into clouds, and falls back to the Earth as various forms of precipitation, like rain or snow, completing a part of the water cycle.