Why Does Rain Fall as Drops, Not One Big Splash?

What Crafty Clover says in this video

Intro

Hi! I'm Crafty Clover! Let's discover something amazing. Why does rain fall as drops, not one big splash?

The Big Idea

Inside a cloud there are millions of tiny droplets that are too light to fall. They bump into each other and join up, growing bigger and bigger. Once a drop is heavy enough, it falls, and every drop travels on its own.

Droplets Collide

Step one: droplets collide. Cloud droplets are very tiny, so they float and drift around inside the cloud. When they bump into each other, they can stick together and make a bigger drop.

Drops Get Heavy

Step two: the drops grow heavy. A typical raindrop holds about a million cloud droplets. When a drop grows too heavy for the rising air to hold up, gravity pulls it down.

Each Drop Falls Alone

Step three: drops fall separately. Water molecules pull on each other, so the water forms a little ball and not a sheet. Air also breaks up very big drops, so rain arrives as many drops, not one big splash.

A Closer Look

Let's take a closer look at rain! A cloud droplet is a tiny speck of water, far smaller than a raindrop. A growing drop collects many droplets as it bumps along. And falling rain is a stream of separate drops heading for the ground.

Quick Facts

Quick facts! A typical raindrop holds millions of cloud droplets. Most raindrops are smaller than a pea. Raindrops fall at around 20 miles per hour, much slower than hail. Big drops break apart as they fall, so nobody gets hit by a giant water blob.

Think Like a Scientist

Now, think like a scientist! Listen to rain falling on a roof. Count how the rhythm changes. Is it quick patters or slow, heavy plops? Write down what you hear.

Outro

Every raindrop is its own tiny traveler from the clouds. Science is amazing! Crafty Clover can be found on Amazon Books, Google Bookstore, and Apple Books. Available for purchase or download! Bye for now!