Question

A class is learning about the evaporation step in the water cycle using a simple model. The model consists of a 1-L container of water. When the container is open, and it receives sunlight, the water can freely evaporate from the container. The students design an experiment using the model. In the experiment, the container will be filled and left open outside from dawn until dusk at different times of the year. The students will run the experiment only on days with clear weather. As a basis of their experiment, the students make an assumption that more water will evaporate from their model when more solar energy is present. Which of the following is a result that the students could predict in order to test their assumption?

A.
Equal amounts of the water will evaporate on summer days and winter days.
B.
Less of the water will remain in the container after one day in summer than after one day in winter.
C.
Less of the water will remain in the container after one day in winter than after one day in summer.
D.
Some of the water will evaporate on winter days but not on summer days.

Answer 1

C That’s the Right answer

Answer 2

The rate of evaporation of water from an open container is dependent on various factors, one of which is solar energy. The more solar energy present, the more water will evaporate. Therefore, the students can predict that less water will remain in the container after one day in summer than after one day in winter. Hence, the answer is option B. We can also explain why option A, C, and D are incorrect. Option A is incorrect because the amount of solar energy present is different in different seasons. Hence, the rate of evaporation will be different, and so the amounts of water evaporated will not be equal on summer and winter days. Option C is incorrect because it is the opposite of the correct answer. Option D is also incorrect because water will still evaporate in winter despite less solar energy being present.