The net rate of growth of a droplet of radius r is proportional to the difference e - es(r),

where e denotes the actual ambient vapor pressure. Drops with radii such that e - es(r) < 0 tend to
decay while those with radii such that e - es(r) > 0 tend to grow. The critical size rc is defined as
the radius for which e - es(rc) =0. The critical size is given by
rc = 2(sigma)/(R(rho)Tln(S) ( equation to be added in Latex)
For a droplet to be stable which formed by chance collisions among water molecules, it must
grow to a radius larger than rc.
The Collision-Coalescence Process
Generally, a droplet continues to grow by diffusion till 20 micrometers in diameter, then
its growth become slow. For large drops, growth almost stops by diffusion. As various drops fall
through the cloud they bump into and bond to one another and form even bigger drops. Bigger
drops tend to fall down but updrafts push it upward. Updrafts in a cloud can transport a droplet
upward repeatedly allowing it many opportunities to fall back down through the cloud and
collide and coalesce with other droplets. Initially by diffusion, and subsequently by collision and
coalescence, tiny aerosol nuclei grow into large water droplets more than 10,000 times their
initial size.

Typical size, number density and velocity of the following particles:

Radius (micrometer) Number density Velocity (cm/s)

(number per liter)
Condensation nuclei 0.1 106 10-4
(CCN)
Typical cloud drop 10 106 1

Large cloud drop 50 103 27

Typical rain drop 1000 1 650