What conditions will cause a gas to condense?

        There are several conditions that may cause a gas to condense. The two main factors in this are temperature and pressure. If the pressure is high enough, and the temperature low enough, the forces of attraction between the gas molecules will join together and condense to become a liquid.

        Water vapor is a gas that condenses easily. If it is cool, water vapor is easily spotted on things such as windows and mirrors, and other surfaces. In a closed system, like a jar (with the lid on it), water does not evaporate, but instead stays in the container. Water will evaporate in a closed container until the air in the container is full of water vapor. When this happens, the liquid evaporates and condenses at the same rate. This is an example of the equilibrium system.

The picture below is an illustration of the condensation cycle. While it does not apply too much to this lesson, it is helpful to understand the water cycle.

  What are the characteristics of gases?

  What What behaviors are described by the gas laws?