1.

Describe evaporation in terms of the escape of more energetic

molecules from the surface of a liquid.
Liquids absorb heat from their surroundings and the sun. This increases
their kinetic energy. At the surface of the liquid, a few molecules eventually
gain enough kinetic energy to overcome the intermolecular forces
surrounding it and escape as a gas. This process is evaporation.

Note that evaporation is a superficial process – it only occurs on the

surfaces of liquids, unlike vaporisation, which can occur anywhere within
the liquid (that’s why bubbles of gas form when we boil water).

2. Demonstrate understanding of how temperature, surface area and air

flow over a surface influence evaporation.
The higher the temperature, the greater the rate of evaporation. As the
temperature increases, more energy is supplied to the liquid molecules,
allowing more surface molecules to gain enough energy to escape the
liquid at a time.

As the surface area increases, so does the rate of evaporation. This is

because more of the liquid is exposed to the atmosphere, so there are
more surface molecules that can absorb the surrounding energy and
eventually escape.

Increased air flow also increases evaporation. When wind blows across the
surface of the liquid, the airborne liquid particles are swept away. This
decreases the humidity in that region, allowing more molecules to dissipate
into the air.
3. Relate evaporation to the consequent cooling.
During evaporation, the most energetic molecules escape into the
atmosphere, carrying away their energy with them. This means there is
less total energy left in the liquid.

As temperature is a measure of the average kinetic energy of the liquid,

and there is less kinetic energy, the temperature of the liquid also falls, and
thus, the liquid cools.