What is the phase change from liquid to gas called?

The phase change from liquid to gas is known as evaporation. This process occurs when molecules in a liquid gain enough energy to overcome intermolecular forces and transition into the gas phase. Evaporation can happen at any temperature, not just at the boiling point, and is influenced by factors such as temperature, humidity, and airflow.

For example, when water is heated, the molecules move faster, and some of them at the surface can escape into the air as vapor, which is the essence of evaporation. This is essentially the process that leads to drying wet clothes on a line or the diminishing of a puddle of water over time.

In contrast, condensation refers to the transition from gas to liquid, sublimation describes the process of a solid becoming a gas without first becoming a liquid, and precipitation is related to the formation of solid or liquid water from atmospheric vapor, typically in the form of rain or snow. Each of these processes is distinct and pertains to different phase changes.