Have you ever heard sizzle when raindrops hit the hot pavement and wondered why? How is it making these tiny bubbles and sizzling sounds? What's the science behind it?
Two key factors cause this phenomenon heat transfer from hot pavement to raindrops and rapid evaporation of water molecules.
Think about the hot pavement as it is a large reservoir of thermal energy. The internal energy present in the system due to its temperature is known as thermal energy. The total kinetic energy of particles (molecules, and atoms) in a substance is its thermal energy. This energy is responsible for heat sensation.
So, when raindrops hit the pavement heat transfer suddenly from it to the raindrops. Raindrops get warm instantly and get Kinetic energy.
The energy of an object because of its motion is kinetic. The more fast an object is the more kinetic energy it would have. It can be transferred and transformed.
By this, its molecules gain kinetic energy start moving faster, and start escaping into air as vapors.
Due to this rapid evaporation tiny steam bubbles get created on the pavement surface and burst there.
These steam bubbles busting on the surface of the pavement cause sizzling sounds.
If the pavement is hot enough, raindrops will float on a thin layer of their own vapor. In this case, the raindrops may not sizzle. It is due to the Leidenfrost effect.
Summary:
When raindrops fall on hot pavement, they create a sizzling sound. This happens because the pavement transfers heat to the raindrops, causing the water molecules to rapidly evaporate. As a result, small steam bubbles form on the surface of the pavement, which burst and produce a sizzling sound.
0 Comments