Why glass explodes if it’s exposed to a sudden temperature change.

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Why glass explodes if it’s exposed to a sudden temperature change.

In: Chemistry

5 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

You know how things expand/contract when heated? That also happens with glass. If it happens slowly then all parts expand at the same time, so it’s fine.

If you take a hot (expanded) glass and hit it with cold water, the parts touched by the water shrink while the other parts don’t. If some part of the glass tries to be shorter than another part that it is attached to, something needs to give. Other materials (like metals) can bend, so they’re fine. Glass can’t bend so well, so it breaks.

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