Vaporization is the process of turning a liquid into a gas. When water in a puddle disappears on a hot day, that's vaporization: the liquid water transforms into invisible water vapor that floats away into the air. When you boil water for pasta, the steam rising from the pot shows vaporization in action.

This transformation happens in two main ways. Evaporation occurs slowly at the surface of a liquid, even at room temperature. That's why wet clothes eventually dry on a clothesline. Boiling happens when a liquid gets hot enough that vaporization occurs rapidly throughout the entire liquid, not just at the surface. Water boils at 212°F (100°C), creating those vigorous bubbles you see in a boiling pot.

Different liquids vaporize at different temperatures. Rubbing alcohol vaporizes more quickly than water, which is why it feels cool on your skin: it's pulling heat from your body to fuel vaporization. This cooling effect is also why sweating helps you stay cool on hot days.

Scientists and engineers use vaporization in countless ways, from purifying water by boiling it to powering steam engines. Understanding when and how liquids vaporize helps explain everything from weather patterns (clouds form when water vapor cools and condenses) to why you can smell perfume across a room.