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Re: [Phys-l] Water vapor condensation



Savinainen Antti wrote:
Hi,

a student of mine is doing a HS project in which she is seeking for a correlation between relative humidity and temperature difference of a surface and air. Her idea is to use a plate that is taken from a freezer and measure the mass of water condensed onto the plate within a certain time frame. Obviously, among other things, the mass depends on the area of the plate.
I was wondering whether of not any other properties of the *surface* besides the area, temperature difference might affect the condensing. Could you suggest a useful reference related to the project topic? AJP and TPT has already been looked for.

Regards,

Antti



Antti Savinainen, Ph.D., B.Ed.
I expect the experimenter would prefer to hold the temperature of the
condensing surface sensibly constant. She would chose a mass whose temperature
would not appreciably rise over the period of interest. A shiny surface would reduce
the surface area exposed to convective/conductive heating. She would also
prefer a white or reflective siver surface for the same reason. There is an issue
concerning the variability of the surface thermal qualities, as water adheres.
It might be useful to provide a conical hollow up surface to drain moisture
away from the main condensing area.

Brian W