If water boils at 100 degrees C then why do we see steam when we shower/wash our hands sometimes?

Question

If water boils at 100 degrees C then why do we see steam when we shower/wash our hands sometimes?

In: 12

Answer 1

H2O at gas state is actually invisible. What you see in steam is actually micro droplets of water, at a temperature below 100ºC. Clouds, for example, is micro droplets of water in the air at a temperature far below 100 ºC, and also has the same visual aspect of steam. At Gaseous state, molecules of h2O are too spaced from each others to reflect light, so that explains why we can see them. Hope this helps