Compare and contrast how dew and clouds are formed.?

Question

Compare and contrast how dew and clouds are formed.?

Answer 1

(1)Clouds(except fog) form at a higher level whereas dew forms on the ground.

(2) clouds require a condensation nuclei to form whereas dew simply forms over exposed non-metallic objects over the ground and does not require any condensation nuclei.

(3)Clouds form when air rises,cools and condenses on reaching the dew point temperature whereas dew forms when the earth's surface loses more energy by IR radiation than it receives from the solar radiation and thus dew point is reached.

(4) clouds form at any time whereas dew forms either in the evening or early morning.

(5) Sufficient moisture should be available at the ground level for the formation of the dew whereas this condition  is not required for the formation of cloud(except fog).

Both involves condensation of water vapour into water droplets(gas to liquid) and both form on the condition that dew point temperature should be reached.

Answer 2

Dew in and off itself would not make much of a cloud because it needs a lot of moisture to form a cloud and lifting, along with other things.   I provided a link to illustrate this.

Answer 3

Both are forms of condensation...the difference is where the dew point temperature is achieved.  Dew occurs when the temperature and dew point occur at the gound level, which causes the condensation to form on grass, etc.  The temperature has to be above freezing or frost will be the result.  Clouds form as the temperature drops with the increase in altitude.  When the temperature drops to the dew point level, condensation begins and the cloud begins to form.  The higher in altitude you need to climb to cool, the different type of cloud that forms.