Tag: boiling

What Temperature Does Water Boil At? Boiling Point & Elevation

An infographic on why the temperature at which water boils can vary depending on elevation. The boiling point of water at a range of elevations is shown. A liquid will boil when its vapour pressure is equal to the atmospheric pressure; vapour pressure can be thought of as the tendency of molecules to escape the liquid’s surface into the gas phase.
At lower pressures, molecules escape more easily, as the vapour pressure required for them to do this is lower.
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Water always boils at 100˚C, right? Wrong! Though it’s one of the basic facts you probably learnt pretty early on back in school science lessons, your elevation relative to sea level can affect the temperature at which water boils, due to differences in air pressure. Here, we take a look at the boiling points of water at a variety of locations, as well as the detailed reasons for the variances.

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