What causes steam?

Answer 1

steam is water evaporating. It is caused when water molecules have enough energy to break free from the electromagnetic interactions that holds all the water together as a liquid.

Short form - steam is water so when it is hot it turns into gas.

Answer 2

Steam H2O in the form of a gas. The difference between the gas and liquid form of water is that the liquid form has more 'bonds' holding molecules together. These are broken when heated. So, using heat energy to break bonds between the molecules causes steam.

Another cause is when you put water in a vacuum and the H2O molecules are ripped apart.

Answer 3

Steam is caused by water boiling and changing into its gaseous state, water vapor. This process occurs when the temperature of water reaches its boiling point, causing the water molecules to gain enough energy to break free from the liquid phase and become vapor.

Answer 4

The cause of steam in a shower is the rapid increase in water vapor and humidity levels. It is not true steam as it is not a result of boiling water.

Answer 5

Steam comes out of water because, the kinetic energy of the molecules have been increased by the source of heat. For that matter, the free molecules escape the surface as steam.