If the Back of Your Hand is Moistened with Alcohol, You Will Find that It Rapidly Becomes Dry. Why is It that While It is Drying, Your Hand Feels Cool - Science

Short Note

If the back of your hand is moistened with alcohol, you will find that it rapidly becomes dry. Why is it that while it is drying, your hand feels cool ?

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Solution

Alcohol is a volatile liquid. It evaporates very fast by absorbing heat from surroundings. When our hand is moistened with alcohol, drops of alcohol absorb heat from the hand to achieve latent heat of vaporization and evaporate. As the hand loses heat to alcohol, it feels cool. This is an example of cooling by evaporation.

Concept: Change of State of Matter - Concept of Evaporation

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Chapter 1: Matter in Our Surroundings - Short Answers [Page 37]

Q 49 Q 48 Q 50

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