2006-10-07 05:04:02 · 29 answers · asked by Anonymous in Education & Reference ➔ Homework Help
That's not really steam. Steam is a gas and is invisible.
However, when you take a shower, you are splashing lots of water around. Obviously it's not at the boiling point, but you are going to break lots of it into different-sized drops (some of it will become gaseous too, but that's another subject). Some of those drops are going to be like mist - so fine that they can be suspended by the air and carried other places.
Mist IS visible, because it's not gaseous water, it's liquid water suspended in the air. And that liquid water is proably going to accumulate on just about anything that air goes around. So your mirror, the tiles on the wall and the floor, and just about everything in your bathroom is going to be dusted with fine water droplets.
You might not notice it on the carpet, because it can absorb a lot more water. But on your mirror, it's just going to accumulate until there are enough fine droplets to form large drops which will run down. Take a long enough shower and you'll see these too!
2006-10-07 05:10:22 · answer #1 · answered by Doctor Why 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
When you have a shower, you use hot water. The hot water makes steam or water vapour, and when the steam hits the cold mirror it condenses - it turns back into water; but generally, the mirror isn't too cold, so it just stays steamed up.
2006-10-07 12:11:40 · answer #2 · answered by Little Miss Helellena 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's the steam from the hot water
clean the mirror with shaving foam it won't steam up when you have a hot shower
By the way it doesn't steam up if you have a cold shower.
2006-10-07 12:12:47 · answer #3 · answered by honey 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the mirror is cold and you are adding a lot of water vapor to the air from the shower. Because of the temp difference of the mirror and the air, the water condenses on the mirror.
Similar to why you can of soda gets wet over time after you take it out of the fridge
2006-10-07 12:07:01 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You said it...steam!!! Steam settles everywhere on your walls and forms liquid water droplets. We only see this condensation on the mirror because of it's optical qualities. If you get up close with a magnifying glass to the painted areas, you will see the same condensation as on the mirror, it's just alot harder to see.
2006-10-07 12:09:42 · answer #5 · answered by rasputin 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the heat of the shower causes steam which condenses on the mirror
2006-10-09 13:07:26 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
when you take a hot shower the the steam from the water floats in the air and when its floats it chrash's into something,like a mirror cause condinsation,the same with a coke bottle if you take a coke bottle out of a fridge and let it sit, the outer part of the bottle will have water droplets on it the same as the mirror.
2006-10-07 12:09:00 · answer #7 · answered by Taelor W 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You see steam on the mirror due to condensation, basically it happens when water evaporates and forms water vapour which then settles on the cold surface of your mirror.
2006-10-07 12:14:46 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Water condenses on the mirror. If you want to reduce the mirror fogging, there are products to help with that or you can use shaving foam by putting it on the mirror and wiping it off well.
2006-10-07 12:08:59 · answer #9 · answered by OOO! I know! I know! 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
basically, the hot water from your shower is floating round the bathroom in teeny weeny drops, then it meets the mirror and thats cold so the drops cool down and 'condese' on the glass. so the mirror is wet and 'steamed up'.
hope that helps, xxx
2006-10-07 12:36:51 · answer #10 · answered by ciaragw 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋