Wednesday 15 May 2024

Evaporation by proxy

When I put my cup on the table, there was early condensation on the surface. I poured hot coffee into the metal enamel mug.
Lifting it after 10 minutes, there was still condensation underneath.
15 minutes later, the table had dried where the cup had been. The thermal energy from the coffee conducted into the metal walls of the cup and thence into the condensation. The warmer condensation wanted to evaporate but couldn't because there was no contact with the air underneath the cup. When the cup was removed, the condensation evaporated using thermal energy that actually came from the coffee above it.