Wet bulb temperature is defined as which of the following?

Wet bulb temperature is defined as which of the following?

• A. The temperature measured by a thermometer with a wet wick around its bulb.
• B. The temperature of air measured by a regular thermometer.
• C. The measurement of both wet bulb and dry bulb temperatures to determine humidity.
• D. The dew point.

Answer: (A)

Wet bulb temperature is the reading from a thermometer with a wet wick around its bulb. The wet wick cools as water evaporates from it, so the temperature shown reflects evaporative cooling. How much it drops depends on air humidity and airflow: in dry air, evaporation is vigorous and the wet bulb reads much cooler than the surrounding air; in very humid air, evaporation slows and the wet bulb approaches the actual air temperature. The other ideas describe different concepts—dry bulb is just the air temperature with no evaporation, using both bulks helps determine humidity, and dew point is the temperature at which condensation begins—not the measurement from a wetted bulb.

Wet bulb temperature is the reading from a thermometer with a wet wick around its bulb. The wet wick cools as water evaporates from it, so the temperature shown reflects evaporative cooling. How much it drops depends on air humidity and airflow: in dry air, evaporation is vigorous and the wet bulb reads much cooler than the surrounding air; in very humid air, evaporation slows and the wet bulb approaches the actual air temperature. The other ideas describe different concepts—dry bulb is just the air temperature with no evaporation, using both bulks helps determine humidity, and dew point is the temperature at which condensation begins—not the measurement from a wetted bulb.