Why are the tops of clouds all poofy and fun, but the bottoms are totally flat and boring?
In: Physics
I love your description of the “tops of clouds being all poofy and fun” :). They’re basically reflecting the condensation column – imagine that under the cloud is a column of wet air, rising as the earth surface is heating it. At some altitude (let’s ignore winds), the temperature of the air will be cold enough for water to start condensing from air – this happens to all the water droplets that encounter that temperature – there is a plane where the temperature is the same and all water droplets that encounter this layer will start condensing (and look “flat”). Where the air is warmer, there will be no condensation and no visible formation, but where it did condense it will look like a “plane”.
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Side question: Why are clouds fluffy and white?
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Clouds have a little weight to them. It’s like a dollop of shaving cream sitting on a glass table, except the table is a subversion layer of heavier air.
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