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.

Replies

Create a free account to read and take part in forum discussions.

Already have an account? log in

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?

Emil-Kunkin on October 5 at 03:31PM

I think the easiest way to think about this is that the easier it vaporizes the more of it there is in the atmosphere, and that we are told they concluded that nitrogen is most common, followed by carbon then methane, they must believe this is the order of the three by how quickly they vaporize, and that there is no other substance that vaporizes in the middle of this range.