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science
science words
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Latent Heat | the heat energy that is absorbed or released by a substance during a phase change |
Sublimation | the process in which a solid changes directly into a gas (the term is sometimes also used for the reverse process) |
Dew Point | at constant pressure and water vapor content, the temperature at which the rate of condensation equals the rate of evaporation |
Absolute Humidity | the mass of water vapor per unit volume of air that contains the water vapor; usually expressed as grams of water vapor per cubic meter of air |
Relative Humidity | the ratio of the amount of water vapor in the air to the amount of water vapor needed to reach saturation at a given temperature |
Cloud | a collection of small water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air, which forms when the air is cooled and condensation occurs |
Condensation Nucleus | a solid particle in the atmosphere that provides the surface on which water vapor condenses |
Adiabatic Cooling | the process by which the temperature of an air mass decreases as the air mass rises and expands |
Advective Cooling | the process by which the temperature of an air mass decreases as the air mass moves over a cold surface |
Stratus Cloud | a gray cloud that has a flat, uniform base and that commonly forms at very low altitudes |
Cumulus Cloud | a low-level, billowy cloud that commonly has a top that resembles cotton balls and a dark bottom |
Cirrus Cloud | a feathery cloud that is composed of ice crystals and that has the highest altitude of any cloud in the sky |
Fog | water vapor that has condensed very near the surface of Earth because air close to the ground has cooled |