Glass commonly refers to an optically transparent fusion product of inorganic materials that has cooled to a gid state without becoming crystalline. What type of solid is glass?
Amorphous solids, including glass, are different from crystalline solids in a number of ways. In crystalline solids, the molecules are arranged in an ordered pattern that repeats itself over long distances. This ordered arrangement gives crystalline solids their characteristic mechanical and optical properties. In contrast, the molecules in amorphous solids are randomly arranged and have no long-range order.
One of the key properties of glass is its transparency. This is due to the fact that the random arrangement of atoms in the glass structure allows light to pass through without being scattered. Another important property of glass is its strength and rigidity, which makes it useful for a wide range of applications. However, the lack of long-range order in glass also means that it lacks the mechanical strength and toughness of crystalline solids, which can make it more prone to cracking and breaking.
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