Science Questions with Surprising Answers
Answers provided by
Dr. Christopher S. Baird

How can glass be a liquid if it's so hard?

Category: Chemistry      Published: December 18, 2012

glass angel figurine
Public Domain Image, source: Christopher S. Baird.

Glass is not a liquid in the strictest sense of the word. But it is also not a standard solid. The chemistry of glass is complex and research is ongoing, but the current consensus is that glass is a phase of matter all its own, known as an "amorphous solid". Scientists refer to any amorphous solid as a "glass". Glass transitions are highly complex and cannot be treated in the same way as traditional phase transitions, according to the textbook "Glasses and the Glass Transition" by Ivan S. Gutzow.

If you liked my explanation, then you'll love my new book: The Top 50 Science Questions with Surprising Answers. Check it out! This book has been years in the making, but it's finally available. It contains detailed, highly accurate, surprising answers to science questions like this one that you just read. It includes a substantial amount of original content that can only be found in the book.

Topics: amorphous, amorphous solid, glass, glass liquid, liquid glass, phase, phase transition, solid