Question

While putting clothes for drying up, why do we spread them out?

A. Surface area is directly proportional to rate of evaporation
B. Increase in surface area decreases rate of evaporation
C. Increase in surface area increases rate of evaporation
D. Both A and C.

Answer 1

Hint: Evaporation is the process of transmission of elements from liquid to vapor or gas form. In the global water cycle it is one of the three steps. When water is heated, molecules collide with each and move quickly that they escape into the earth’s atmosphere in the form of vapors.

Step by step answer: When we spread the clothes, they dry faster because its surface area becomes large. Evaporation occurs faster when the surface is large. Thus, more molecules will evaporate in the air when the area of clothes is large. On a large surface area the sun is exposed directly and wind speeds up the process of evaporation which makes the clothes dry quickly. Some heat energy is taken away from the clothes when water evaporates.

Thus, the correct option is D. i.e., Both A and C.
Surface area is directly proportional to rate of evaporation (A).
Surface area $\alpha $ rate of evaporation

Increase in surface area increases rate of evaporation (B).
Surface area is larger, faster the rate of evaporation.

Additional Information:
Some examples of evaporation are-
1.melting of ice cube
2.acetone- for removing nail paint
3.ironing of wet clothes
4.drying of wet hairs
5.wet clothes under the sun

For the process of evaporation there are three key parts-
A.Heat- temperature
B.Air movement- flow rate of air
C.Atmospheric pressure (barometric pressure)- pressure in the atmosphere of earth.

Note: Another name for this process is evaporating cooling because the temperature of liquid is decreasing.
It occurs at temperatures above 100 Degree centigrade . Characteristics of Evaporation was discovered by Swedish physicist Nils Wallerius.