🔍 Key Concepts

• latent heat of vaporization (how much heat water absorbs when turning to steam) • how surface area of water droplets affects heat absorption and cooling • difference between cooling the fire gases vs. hitting the exact seat of the fire

💭 Think About

• Think about what happens to water when it instantly turns to steam in a hot compartment—how does that affect heat and oxygen around the fire? • Compare a tight, solid stream of water to a fine fog: which one exposes more water surface to the hot gases? • How could using fog instead of a solid stream affect the risk of flooding and stability on a ship?

✅ Before You Answer

• Make sure you understand that water fog mainly cools and displaces oxygen by creating steam in the hot atmosphere, not just on the burning surface. • Check which choices describe direct effects of fog on fire behavior (cooling and smothering) versus secondary effects (like amount of water used). • Verify which statements would be true for most interior shipboard fires, not just special cases.