Final answer:
Condensation forms on the coldest object in a room because the cold surface causes warm, moist air to cool, reducing its ability to hold water vapor, which then condenses into liquid.
Step-by-step explanation:
Condensation forms most rapidly on the coldest object in a room because of the process of heat transfer. When warm, moist air inside the room comes into contact with a colder surface, like a glass of ice water, the air's temperature decreases. This decrease in temperature leads to a decrease in the kinetic energy of the water vapor molecules in the air, causing them to slow down and clump together, forming liquid droplets on the cold surface.
As the air cools, its capacity to hold water vapor lessens, leading to condensation. This is why you observe condensation on the outside of a glass: the heat transfers from the warm vapor to the cold surface of the glass. The cold glass causes the water vapor in the air to lose energy and change from its gaseous state to a liquid state.