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Q:
When water boils, it bubbles. Where on earth do the bubbles come from? The air above the water? The water itself? The bottom of the pot?
- Eryn (age 15)
Kamloops Christian School, Kamloops, B.C., Canada
A:
Eryn -
Strange though it may sound, the bubbles actually come from the
water itself. When a liquid boils, it literally turns into a gas. For
water, that gas is steam. As the water at the top of the pot evaporates
(boils), the gas can go straight into the air. But when it evaporates
(boils) at the bottom of the pot, it forms bubbles that have to float
up to the top.
-Tamara
(published on 10/22/2007)
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