is glass a liquid or solid?

Question

i always liked this one.

Answer 1

It's an amorphous solid. That means that its atoms are not in any special order (unlike metal) and that it is not a liquid.

This myth comes from before the 20th century, where many experiments disproved the claim that it was a fluid at room temperature. For instance, you might think that glass flows down in old cathedrals making the bottom thicker. While it's true that the bottom is thicker, it was caused by the way glass blowers made it.

Also, Rayleigh (the son of the famous Rayleigh) conducted experiments to disprove the claim that it's a liquid.

All that being said, if you heat it enough, it will melt and become and liquid.

Answer 2

Glass when under intense heat will melt to become a liquid and can be molded and then cooled to become a solid. Most glass seen in the home such as windows and drinking glasses are solids.

Answer 3

why would it be a liquid? It's not glass until it turns to the solid form

Answer 4

Glass is a very slow moving liquid...so slow moving that it appears to be a solid.

Answer 5

Peachy's source article actually makes it clear that glass DOES have SOME characteristics of a liquid, namely an unordered molecular structure.

Answer 6

Glass is a solid made by carbon.

Answer 7

Has all the characteristics of a solid and none of a liquid.

http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/physics/General/Glass/glass.html

Answer 8

It is a solid material. But, it is a frozen liquid. It is analagous to ice.

Answer 9

liquid at one stage and solid in another,

Answer 10

Glass is a liquid, it has no crystal structure.