Mystery Science Off-Topic...

Tour2ma
Tour2ma Posts: 10,177
edited February 2024 in Clubhouse Archives
Why does dew not form on a car parked under a tree?
More later,
Tour...
Vox Copuli
Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. - Old English Proverb

"Death doesn't come with a Uhaul." - Dennis Gardner
"It's easy to get lost in price vs performance vs ego vs illusion." - doro
"There is a certain entertainment value in ripping the occaisonal (sic) buttmunch..." - TroyD
Post edited by RyanC_Masimo on
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  • pixiedave
    pixiedave Posts: 227
    edited April 2004
    trees generate heat raising ambient temperature in vacinity therefore evaporating dew faster
    Purple.jpg
    You never blow your trip forever! < Daevid Allen
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  • Tour2ma
    Tour2ma Posts: 10,177
    edited April 2004
    Nah, ain't buying that... unless the tree is one fire...

    Next?
    More later,
    Tour...
    Vox Copuli
    Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. - Old English Proverb

    "Death doesn't come with a Uhaul." - Dennis Gardner
    "It's easy to get lost in price vs performance vs ego vs illusion." - doro
    "There is a certain entertainment value in ripping the occaisonal (sic) buttmunch..." - TroyD
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  • HBombToo
    HBombToo Posts: 5,256
    edited April 2004
    because the tree absorbs moisture??? just a guess. This is of course during the summer season when foilage is at its peak.

    HBomb
    ***WAREMTAE***
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  • HBombToo
    HBombToo Posts: 5,256
    edited April 2004
    I need an answer Tour... I'm losing sleep over here:D

    HBomb
    ***WAREMTAE***
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  • pjdami
    pjdami Posts: 1,894
    edited April 2004
    I'll take a stab at it. Dew is formed when the temperature of the air reaches the wet bulb temperature therefore the moisture in the air condenses and falls to the earth.

    A tree would act as a large droplet "catcher" and attract the moisture on the leaves.

    I remember parking my car under covered parking (but still outside) when I was in an apartment and I don't recall having dew on my car. Same principle??
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  • pjdami
    pjdami Posts: 1,894
    edited April 2004
    some how or another, this has to do something with the radiant energy radiated by the tree and some sort of enthalpy balance between it and the car.

    So the car cools off slower due to the tree. Same concept as when it is winter, with cloud cover the temperature doesn't drop off as much.

    But I still think the tree catches most of the dew at the top as well.

    Now, I can't sleep either.....:p
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  • disneyjoe7
    disneyjoe7 Posts: 11,435
    edited April 2004
    Under a Palm Tree ??

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  • RuSsMaN
    RuSsMaN Posts: 17,986
    edited April 2004
    MS Theater, pffft.

    You are a dork, through and through. I bet you got hit in the face in dodgeball a lot, didn't ya? I bet you never got to play 4-square, and kids (even girls) threw rocks at you at recess.

    Tell me I'm wrong.

    Tell me you wanted a 6 Million Dollar Man lunchbox, but you had to carry a 'sack' instead, and you had to eat room-temp peanut butter and banana sandwiches that momma made for you, while the other kids made fun of the 'do good, I love you' note she scribbled on your neatly folded paper napkin.

    Tell me how your mom forced you into piano lessons at $2 a pop after school, while everyone else hopped on their Schwinn low-riders and headed down to the creek to look at nudie mags and set off firecrackers, and you can hardly even play the knuckle song to this day.

    You Dork.

    Cheers,
    Russ
    Check your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service.
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  • Tour2ma
    Tour2ma Posts: 10,177
    edited April 2004
    Dropletts??? Not rain... Dew, which is direct condensation on a surface.

    Definitely has to do with the relative temperatures of the surfaces of the vehicles, because both have to be seeing the same "air"...

    So far the radiant heat loss reduction by the tree makes the most sense.

    BTW... I don't know the answer to this one. The question was just based on some observations I made out front o' the house the other night...
    More later,
    Tour...
    Vox Copuli
    Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. - Old English Proverb

    "Death doesn't come with a Uhaul." - Dennis Gardner
    "It's easy to get lost in price vs performance vs ego vs illusion." - doro
    "There is a certain entertainment value in ripping the occaisonal (sic) buttmunch..." - TroyD
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  • Tour2ma
    Tour2ma Posts: 10,177
    edited April 2004
    Well that post kind of slid in outta left field as I was typing...
    More later,
    Tour...
    Vox Copuli
    Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. - Old English Proverb

    "Death doesn't come with a Uhaul." - Dennis Gardner
    "It's easy to get lost in price vs performance vs ego vs illusion." - doro
    "There is a certain entertainment value in ripping the occaisonal (sic) buttmunch..." - TroyD
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  • pjdami
    pjdami Posts: 1,894
    edited April 2004
    BTW... I don't know the answer to this one.

    Best answer I could find. From a meteorologist:

    http://www.weatherwise.org/qr/qry.frostycar.html
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  • Tour2ma
    Tour2ma Posts: 10,177
    edited April 2004
    That link works for me...

    Sorry for not coming up with a better reply, but I am now enterring a deeply introspective pause in my life prompted by Russ' insightful post.
    More later,
    Tour...
    Vox Copuli
    Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. - Old English Proverb

    "Death doesn't come with a Uhaul." - Dennis Gardner
    "It's easy to get lost in price vs performance vs ego vs illusion." - doro
    "There is a certain entertainment value in ripping the occaisonal (sic) buttmunch..." - TroyD
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  • disneyjoe7
    disneyjoe7 Posts: 11,435
    edited April 2004
    >>So far the radiant heat loss reduction by the tree makes the most sense.<<


    I would agree with this one.

    Speakers
    Carver Amazing Fronts
    CS400i Center
    RT800i's Rears
    Sub Paradigm Servo 15

    Electronics
    Conrad Johnson PV-5 pre-amp
    Parasound Halo A23
    Pioneer 84TXSi AVR
    Pioneer 79Avi DVD
    Sony CX400 CD changer
    Panasonic 42-PX60U Plasma
    WMC Win7 32bit HD DVR


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  • Ron-P
    Ron-P Posts: 8,520
    edited April 2004
    Why does dew not form on a car parked under a tree?
    Hmmmm, then why does bird **** form on a car parked under a tree?;)
    If...
    Ron dislikes a film = go out and buy it.
    Ron loves a film = don't even rent.
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  • HBombToo
    HBombToo Posts: 5,256
    edited April 2004
    Originally posted by Tour2ma


    Sorry for not coming up with a better reply, but I am now enterring a deeply introspective pause in my life prompted by Russ' insightful post.

    HBombToo

    BTW, I'll buy the answer from NOAA.
    ***WAREMTAE***
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  • pjdami
    pjdami Posts: 1,894
    edited April 2004
    Dropletts??? Not rain... Dew, which is direct condensation on a surface.

    Yeah Tour, I wasn't talking about rain but dew. Somehow, some of that moisture that is in the air has to condense at the dew point temperature so where does it all go then? That's what still has me a little puzzled.

    Going back the carport thing. The carport was not much, just a thin covered aluminum type, but I recall not having frost or dew on the car in the morning when parked under it. The carport doesn't have the shear mass of a large Oak or Maple tree for example so it shouldn't radiate as much heat. That's why I kind of suspect that the moisture in the air kind of settles down on top of the carport but not on the car.

    I don't know. Looks like I was partially correct at least but even the meteorologist was like the best answer is closer to....

    Oh BTW, I had a "Superfriends" lunchbox, got in trouble in grade school for bringing a sligshot to class, and had a Team Murray BMX bike (unfortunately not a Redline w/ alloy rims, Mongoose w/ mags, or Schwinn);)
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  • Tour2ma
    Tour2ma Posts: 10,177
    edited April 2004
    Think I've got it wired now... black body radiation is the key.

    Since there's no fog, the air is not saturated at its temperature. So for condensation to form on the cars, its surface temperature has to be below the dew point of the air.

    How can the car be cooler than the air around it? Black body radiation... which any cover will block. So the acr under the tree, car port, whatever, never does sub-cool. But the one ine the driveway does...

    24 hours of introspection and that's all I could come up with except for...
    Russ, it was a Popeye lunch box and don't be talkin' 'bout my Mama...
    More later,
    Tour...
    Vox Copuli
    Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. - Old English Proverb

    "Death doesn't come with a Uhaul." - Dennis Gardner
    "It's easy to get lost in price vs performance vs ego vs illusion." - doro
    "There is a certain entertainment value in ripping the occaisonal (sic) buttmunch..." - TroyD
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