Why will hot water poured into a drinking glass be more likely to break the glass if the glass is thick?

Answer 1

The outer side of the thick glass expands at a different rate from the inner side. This sets up a tension that is different from the other side. So it cracks. Most drinking glasses are fairly able to cope with hot water as they are not thick. Fairly good sense, as no one will buy drinking glass that cracks each time hot liquid is poured in and no manufacturer can afford such negative situations.

Most glass bottles can handle hot water without cracking. Besides the cost of thick glass, it makes more sense to make bottles of a thickness that optimises both cold and hot storage.

Answer 2

Hot water causes the glass to expand, of course.

I believe that only the *inside* of the glass will be hot, straight off, the outside will be cooler, at least to start with. If the inside tries to expand but the outside won't, then you have a problem.

Naturally, the thicker the glass is, the more likely this is.

Answer 3

The hot water causes the glass to expand. If it is very thin, the outside and inside of the glass almost expand at the same time.
If it is thick the inside wants to expand but the outside does not. So a force is created resulting in the glass' fracture.

Answer 4

Hot water may likely break thin glass (not thick) because the natural temp of the glass is room temperature (about 70 degrees). The hotter the water, the more it makes the glass expand, thus splitting it and cracking it.

Answer 5

I agree with what "ignoramus" said. A thin glass will quickly come to the same temp. all around, and thus expand evenly.

In addition, a thin glass should dissipate heat to the atmosphere more quickly.

Answer 6

I'd assume that with more volume in the glass, the heating expansion would have more area to dissipate and therefore more chance for an anomaly (or cracking)

Answer 7

Glass is a britle material. It doens't handle contraction of expansion very well. Heat and cold are notorious for causing expansion or contraction.

Answer 8

beacuse when things get hot the expand and beacuse its a solid more of it is epanding so it breaks