Question

Imagine that, early one cool morning, you discover that the wet-bulb and dry-bulb temperatures are the same. What conclusion can you draw about evaporation from the wet-bulb thermometer in this case? What conclusion can you draw about the relative humidity in this case? Would this be a good day to hang your clothes out to dry? Explain.

Answer 1

If the wet-bulb and dry-bulb temperatures are equal, evaporation has stopped, indicating that the relative humidity is 100%. It is not a good day to dry clothes outside because the saturated air does not promote evaporation.

Step-by-step explanation:

If the wet-bulb and dry-bulb temperatures are the same, you can conclude that evaporation from the wet-bulb thermometer has ceased. This occurs because the air is saturated with water vapor, meaning that the relative humidity is 100%. When the relative humidity is at this level, the air's capacity to hold water vapor has reached its maximum, and additional water vapor cannot be readily absorbed. Therefore, under these conditions, it would not be an ideal day to hang your clothes out to dry, as the high humidity inhibits evaporation, meaning that the clothes would take a longer time to dry if they dry at all.