Which statement best describes the process of condensation?

The process of condensation is best described by the statement that heat is released as water changes from gas to liquid. During condensation, water vapor (the gaseous state) cools and transitions back to its liquid form. This process releases energy in the form of heat to the surrounding environment.

When water vapor condenses, the molecules lose energy and come closer together, which results in a decrease in temperature. This is why condensation often occurs on cool surfaces, where the air temperature drops enough for the vapor to lose heat and change to liquid water.

In contrast, the other options do not accurately capture the essence of condensation. For example, heat absorption during evaporation (the opposite process) does not relate to condensation, nor does the transformation of liquid water to vapor without temperature change accurately reflect condensation, as this pertains to evaporation. Moreover, the assertion that water molecules remain unchanged during phase transitions overlooks the fact that energy dynamics are critical to the transition process, thus contradicting the impact of heat release during condensation.