Final answer:
Warm air can contain more water vapor than cool air because increased temperature raises the vapor pressure, allowing for more water vapor to be present before the air becomes saturated.
Step-by-step explanation:
Warm air has the capacity to contain more water than cool air does. This is due to the fact that as air temperature increases, the vapor pressure of water also increases, which allows for more water vapor to be present in the air before reaching saturation.
When the air is warm, the molecules within it move more rapidly, contributing to its ability to ‘contain’ or support more water vapor.
It’s important to recognize that air does not actually ‘hold’ water in a physical sense; it’s all about the vapor pressure and the amount of water that can be present as water vapor at a given temperature.
Higher temperatures allow the air to hold more moisture, while colder temperatures cause the air to hold less moisture.
This is because warm air molecules are moving more rapidly, allowing for more space between them for water molecules to occupy.