December 1996 LSAT Section 2 Question 19

Spectroscopic analysis has revealed the existence of frozen nitrogen, methane, and carbon monoxide on the surface of ...

AndrewArabie on October 9, 2022

wouldn't nitrogen evaporate less readily than carbon monoxide?

If these are listed in decreasing abundance, wouldn't this mean that nitrogen evaporates less readily than carbon monoxide? I understand that methane being less abundant means it must evaporate more readily. But it seems from the stimulus that nitrogen would evaporate less readily than carbon monoxide since it is more abundant in the ice.

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Emil-Kunkin on October 12, 2022

Hi Andrew,

We are told that the abundance of a gas in its atmosphere is proportional to how readily it vaporizes. I do not think that we know that if a substance is more readily available in ice form the less readily it will vaporize. Less methane must mean that methane evaporates less readily, not more

AndrewArabie on October 12, 2022

Hi Emil,

I really don't understand this question and answer at all. Can you help me see this more clearly?