Why does a wet towel dry out hung over the back of the chair, but not in a plastic bag on a seat?

Question

it has something to do with chem!

thanks in advance:)

Answer 1

one reason is because if the towel is hanging, gravity will pull the water down and it will drip, but in a plastic bag on a flat surface, the water will try to go down but will just get absorbed back into the towel.

Answer 2

Wet towels get dry when the water evaporates from them. The water goes into the air as water vapor, and the towel is dry.

If the towel is in a plastic bag, the water vapor has nowhere to go. Water vapor cannot penetrate the plastic bag, so it's stuck inside the bag and the towel stays wet.

Answer 3

For the wet towel to become dry all of the water that is absorbed in the towel would have to evaporate into the atmosphere. A towel that has been hung over the back of a chair is exposed to the atmosphere and therefore the water that is vaporized has a place to go other than the towel. However the towel inside of the plastic bag may never dry because the water vapor gets trapped inside the bag after it leaves the towel and it then condenses and gets absorbed back into the towel.