Question

On a clear, sunny winter day with an outside temperature of –10ºC, you hang your freshly laundered clothes outside. In the morning when you hung them out, the wet clothes quickly froze, but went to being completely dry by afternoon. What change of state has occurred in the water?

Answer 1

Options for the question are not given. They are as follows:

sublimation

condensation

deposition

evaporation

melting

Answer:

sublimation

Explanation:

When a matter changes its state directly from solid to gaseous without encountering the liquid phase, the phenomenon is called as sublimation. It can be observed in places which have below freezing temperature, dry winds and sunlight. Dry air with less relative humidity leads to direct conversion of snow into vapor. Heat required is supplied by the sunlight. Since here the clothes first froze and then directly dried in the above mentioned environmental conditions, it is a case of sublimation change of state.