Some consider glass a liquid, have you heard this, someone back me up. It flows, though extremely slowly. Old glass panels are thicker at the bottom because the glass slowly flows because of the pull of gravity.
What are your opinions, can anyone settle this for me
2006-07-09 14:46:37 · 16 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Chemistry
This is a myth. The reason old glass looks like that was the process was to spin the silica into disks and it became common practice to cut and install them with the thick part down.
The melting point of glass is way above the normal earth surface temperature. And the freezing point is a measurable temperature but it varies depending on the additives used in the glass.
2006-07-09 15:15:42 · answer #1 · answered by Tamm 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No! This is a myth. Glass is unusual in that it does not have a fixed melting point like other solids. Instead, it grows more fluid as it is heated. However, glass is completely solid at ambient temperatures; even in direct sunlight, it cannot be heated enough to flow.
The reason why old glass is thicker at the bottom than the top is because the production of perfectly flat panes of glass for windows and mirrors is a rather modern development (last 100 years or so). Glass made before that was thicker on one or more sides; the thickest side is heavier than the others, and is the bottom edge for balance purposes. This gives the illusion that the glass has flowed because we are so used to perfectly flat modern glass. But old glass that is thicker on the bottom was that way when it was made, and installed with the thick side down for balance and stability.
2006-07-09 21:57:19 · answer #2 · answered by armchairpolitician 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Per wikipedia:
"One common misconception is that glass is a super-cooled liquid of practically infinite viscosity at room temperature and as such flows, though very slowly. Glass is generally treated as an amorphous solid rather than a liquid, though different views can be justified since characterizing glass as either 'solid' or 'liquid' is not an entirely straightforward matter [3]. However, the notion that glass flows to an appreciable extent over extended periods of time is not supported by empirical evidence or theoretical analysis."
I am surprised, I had also heard glass is a liquid. Oh well!!
2006-07-09 21:51:53 · answer #3 · answered by Bartmooby 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not only glass but wax and thermoplastics. These seem to be solids at room temperature.
What are the characteristics of a solid? Definite shape, definite volume, difficult to compress, etc. So far, all of these apply to glass, wax and thermoplastics. However, there is another physical property that apply to solids: if it melts, it does so at a specific temperature. At what temperature does glass melt? or plastic? Wax, for example, gets pliable, soft, then runny. There is no specific temperature at which it changes from a "solid" to a "liquid".
Maybe, physicists need to create another state of matter:
solid, _______, liquid, gas, plasma.
Plastic, wax, glass and petroleum jelly will fall between solids and liquids.
2006-07-09 22:18:30 · answer #4 · answered by flandargo 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You are right!
Glass is a non-Newtonian fluid much like the goop children play with made from cornstarch and water.
A non-Newtonian fluid is both a fluid and a solid.
If you ever noticed an extremely old building how the glass is thicker towards the bottom then you have proof that glass is a fluid
2006-07-09 21:59:38 · answer #5 · answered by CAT 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
if it is a liquid, what happens when you freeze it and turn it into a solid? and you can melt glass into a liquid so then is that really a gas? or is like some super special glass state of matter that no one knows about yet and you are a genius for figuring it out? I have no clue, but I am curious if your right, what would happen when you freeze it.
2006-07-09 21:58:19 · answer #6 · answered by nigel 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
According to the laws of physics, you are correct. If you were to finely measure a very large glass window, you would find it to be thicker at the base than at the top.
2006-07-09 21:52:11 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Glass is considered to be a super cooled liquid. in its original form it is a liquid and as it cools it takes a solid form....
2006-07-09 22:00:39 · answer #8 · answered by wizard 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes it is a liquid
if you look at realy old windows, you can see that the bottom is slightly thicker than the top part of the glass
2006-07-09 21:59:04 · answer #9 · answered by Rajan 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I know it is glass in the beginning stages of making or blowing glass but that is about all I know. Sorry
2006-07-09 21:50:24 · answer #10 · answered by Maggie 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋