Which process occurs when air absorbs moisture, resulting in cooling?

The correct answer is evaporation because this process involves the transition of liquid water into vapor, which requires energy in the form of heat. When air absorbs moisture through evaporation, it effectively removes heat from its surroundings, leading to a cooling effect. This is why you may feel cooler after getting out of a pool or after sweating; the moisture on your skin evaporates, absorbing heat and thus cooling your body.

In the context of HVAC systems, evaporation is a critical process in cooling mechanisms. For instance, in evaporative cooling systems, water is used to cool the air by absorbing heat as it evaporates, enhancing comfort in hot conditions.

Conduction, condensation, and radiation do not directly relate to the process of cooling via moisture absorption. Conduction refers to the transfer of heat through materials, condensation is the process where vapor turns into liquid (releasing heat rather than absorbing it), and radiation describes the transfer of heat through electromagnetic waves, which does not involve moisture and cooling in the same sense as evaporation.