The factors which affect the rate of evaporation are:
(1) Surface area:
Evaporation is a surface phenomenon. As the surface area increases, more particles present in the liquid surface are exposed to the surroundings, and the rate of evaporation also increases.
(2) Temperature:
With the increase in temperature, more particles are provided with kinetic energy to escape into the vapour state. Hence the rate of evaporation increases.
(3) Humidity:
Humidity is the amount of water vapour present in the air. For a given temperature, the air can only hold a particular amount of water vapour. So if the humidity is high, the amount of water vapour is high and hence the further conversion of a liquid into a vapour state is difficult or not favourable. Hence the rate of evaporation decreases.
(4) Wind Speed: Increase in wind speed results in more moving away from water vapour particles with the wind, decreasing the amount of water vapour present in the air in that area. So the rate of evaporation increases with the wind speed.
