thank god im a high school dropout
after reading the initial problem i alredy thought "well duh steam goes up. how the heck could this even be a brain tease?"

 

it's not just the simple fact that steam rises though, it's also that the glasses were cold

 

sounds like that to me. Prof's in my fluidmechanics, thermodynamics and IC engine's classes all would have a simple real world problem on the final to get the brainiacs who can't work a real world problem with basic understanding of how things work.

 

I never made it past pre algebra, so thermodynamics is usless to me unless I have a flux compasitor in my car and I hit 88mph in the local mall parking lot and I travel back in time and then jump to the future and get me one of those sweet hover boards. Hell ya, Micheal J Fox. Whoop, Whoop.

 

Yes -- but I just turn on the fan....or buy a bigger house with a 20' x 20' + bathroom....JK

 

What was the eventual answer here?

It seems to me everyone is discounting the lower temperature around the sink itself. Wouldn't the colder sink cool the air and envelope the glasses until you removed them from the counter? Solid objects take longer to heat than air, especially when the only heat source is a localized steam source. Pretty big difference between the air and the sink if you ask me.

 

Hah funny thing, my prof asked the same question a few semesters back..

 

The same thing happens when you excersize and put you sunglasses on....

Difference in humidity and temperature is also what creates rain soo.. I do believe this is OFF TOPIC but I believe that's the reason for it ...

 

What was the answer then?

 

anyone?

 

bump because I am bored at work. This is the most interesting thread in the tech guides forum btw.

 

I had the same question a few years back in school too. Our accepted answer was the differences in enviroment based on elevation, in other words the temp gradient in the bathroom and how an object taken from one area reacts when put in another (lower) area.

This brings me back to college days. Oh I miss those, Id be on summer vacation as we speak just a few years back. it is nice though actually being paid for engineering work (haha) and of course the ability to afford an Evo goes hand in hand with that.

 

What if you don't wear glasses? DUh?

 

After you get out of a hot shower, the hot water is evaporting off of your skin. You essentially have a thin layer of supersaturated air all around you. When you put on the glasses, which are relatively cool compared to your hot damp face, the water vapor naturally condenses on the glasses. The fact that the glasses were low on the counter probably has no significant effect.

Here is an experiment to prove it. Run your hand under very hot water (don't burn yourself) for several seconds until your hand is really hot. Then hold the palm of your hand close to (but not touching) the mirror. You will notice that the mirror fogs up by your hand.

 

You guys are making my head hurt. Two semesters of Thermo and one of Heat Transfer was enough for me. I was hoping not to have to do that stuff again then I log onto evom...haha

I'm going back to work to do more FEA....