How can water evaporate from a pool in the summer when it is supposed to evaporate at 100°C ?

Question

How can water evaporate from a pool in the summer when it is supposed to evaporate at 100°C ?

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Answer 1

The temperature of a material is an average.

The molecules actually have a wide range of temperatures. And each individual molecules temperature will fluctuate as it’s neighbors bump into it. Sometimes sending it off faster (hotter) sometimes slowing down (cooler).

So in a puddle of water at 50c, most will just chill. But some small fraction (say 0.1%) is actually bumped hard enough to leave. Sometimes this molecule is near the edge so it gets pumped free entirely. Sometimes it’s in the middle so it simply bumps into another and slows back down.

So this means that it can slowly evaporate even at 50c.