Glass, solid or liquid??

bitemybanger · 15-02-2008 09:23PM #1

Did you know that glass, at standard temperature and pressure, is a liquid? Glass looks and acts like a solid, doesn't it. But it is a liquid. Or is it?

Dr.Louis · 15-02-2008 09:25PM

i know- its freaky... they call it a 'super cool' liquid.

its the reason why old windows get kind of warped at the bottom, over time the liquid is moving down...

Hellm0 · 15-02-2008 09:26PM

I remember a sad crowd of UCD chemistry students coming into my primary school and claiming this. Whether or not I believe them is another matter. As far as I know it is considered a liquid however.

Archeron · 15-02-2008 09:27PM

bitemybanger wrote: »

Did you know that glass, at standard temperature and pressure, is a liquid? Glass looks and acts like a solid, doesn't it. But it is a liquid. Or is it?

I believe it is a liquid. Panes of glass in really old (like 80+ years) actually look like they're pouring. The glass pools at the bottom of the pane.

Someone with technical knowledge will prove me wrong in a moment, but I believe its true. ITS A LIQUID!!!

Voodu Child · 15-02-2008 09:30PM

Also, poo is a solid!!

It flows out your ass like a liquid (except when you have to pry it out with your fingers:(), but scientists classify faecal matter as a solid.

Amazing stuff. Go AH!!

bleg · 15-02-2008 09:30PM

it's an amorphous solid

Terry · 15-02-2008 09:31PM

Isn't glass made from sand and isn't sand a solid?

I know that glass is a liquid, but it's made from a solid, so something is amiss somewhere alond the line.

Stercus Accidit · 15-02-2008 09:48PM

Dr.Louis wrote: »

i know- its freaky... they call it a 'super cool' liquid.

its the reason why old windows get kind of warped at the bottom, over time the liquid is moving down...

Wrong,

urban myth.

Old glass was often uneven, and a non thick glazer would put the thick part at the bottom.

A thick glazer sometime put the heavy part at the top < flowing up?

Glass is an amorphous solid.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass#The_physics_of_glass Look at the antique glass making techniques.

bitemybanger · 15-02-2008 09:49PM

If you fell of a 50 foot cliff into water, im sure it would feel solid too

Jimbo · 15-02-2008 09:52PM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass

Glass is a type of non-crystalline or amorphous solid.

Wiki never lies, ever

peasant · 15-02-2008 09:54PM

Motosam wrote: »

Wrong,

urban myth.

Old glass was often uneven, and a non thick glazer would put the thick part at the bottom.

A thick glazer sometime put the heavy part at the top < flowing up?

Glass is surely a crystaline solid. edit: Sorry amorphous solid

Old glass actually always was uneven as it was poured rather than extruded as it is today.

ScumLord · 15-02-2008 10:04PM

Glass is glass, why complicate things with your vodoo talk.

Stercus Accidit · 15-02-2008 10:15PM

peasant wrote: »

Old glass actually always was uneven as it was poured rather than extruded as it is today.

And spun to stretch it, leaving thick edges.

Davidius · 15-02-2008 10:19PM

Just to be different I'm going to say it's a gas.
Solid Snake.

chuci · 15-02-2008 10:26PM

how is it made from a solid but a liquid all at the same time. jaysus the world is a mad place.

Hagar · 15-02-2008 10:30PM

Liquid, same as asphalt.

Stercus Accidit · 15-02-2008 10:32PM

Next people will be saying carbon is a metal

im_invisible · 15-02-2008 10:38PM

sure water is made of two gasses, and its a liquid, and if you throw it in the freezer, it turns into a solid

zuutroy · 15-02-2008 10:39PM

now..everyone go and mix some cornflour with water to form a non-newtonian fluid...then you'll be really confused

Capt'n Midnight · 15-02-2008 10:40PM

Hagar wrote: »

Liquid, same as asphalt.

http://www.physics.uq.edu.au/pitchdrop/pitchdrop.shtml

Listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the world's longest running experiment.

Live feed here - mms://drop.physics.uq.edu.au/PitchDropLive

Hagar · 15-02-2008 10:41PM

John Tickle FTW

Bottle_of_Smoke · 16-02-2008 01:39AM

im_invisible wrote: »

sure water is made of two gasses, and its a liquid, and if you throw it in the freezer, it turns into a solid

No, water is water. In it's frozen form we refer to it as ice, in its liquid we call it water & when boiled it's steam

the dee · 16-02-2008 09:54AM

Bottle_of_Smoke wrote: »

No, water is water. In it's frozen form we refer to it as ice, in its liquid we call it water & when boiled it's steam

Yeah, but the point is whether something is a liquid or a solid or a gas is usually dependent on the temperature. It was just to point out that substances can easily change state, it's not so confusing that glass is made from sand.

Capt'n Midnight · 16-02-2008 12:45PM

Bottle_of_Smoke wrote: »

No, water is water.

water isn't just water
in a vacuum it's sublime

peasant · 16-02-2008 12:49PM

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

http://www.physics.uq.edu.au/pitchdrop/pitchdrop.shtml

Listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the world's longest running experiment.

Live feed here - mms://drop.physics.uq.edu.au/PitchDropLive

Interestingly enough, the glass casing for this experiment hasn't started dripping yet

zuutroy · 16-02-2008 01:04PM

the dee wrote: »

Yeah, but the point is whether something is a liquid or a solid or a gas is usually dependent on the temperature.

and pressure

Wertz · 16-02-2008 01:07PM

Bottle_of_Smoke wrote: »

No, water is water. In it's frozen form we refer to it as ice, in its liquid we call it water & when boiled it's steam

...and that's all relative to ambient temperature and pressure. The molecule remains the same, it's just that it's environment determines how those molecules and the atoms making them up behave.
If we were to think along these lines then every single element, compound and alloy could be said to be any of the 4 states of matter.
Glass being a liquid? I'd never heard of that before so I presumed it was BS straight away, since it's the sort of thing that would peak my interest.