Navigate

New
Older
About
Diaryrings
Surveys
Email
Notes
Guestbook
Image
Diaryland
Haloscan


Design

Riffed by Dr. Geek
from an idea by Vitriol


Co-conspirators

ann-frank
ariadne518
belle de jour
borogoves
clarity25
crazed parent
elgan
harri3tspy
hissandtell
ilonina
itzie
jason75
ladybug-red
letaboo
lioness den
meeyapede
metaleve
metonym
mr. nice guy
mrs-roboto
obvious zombie
pageme
science-girl
teranika
true porn clerk stories
weetabix



science in action

One of the things I recall from my high school chemistry class regards temperature and glass: glass doesn't like abrupt shifts in temperature and can crack and shatter. This is why chemists use Pyrex glassware. It is far more resistant to changes in temperature than ordinary glass.

I got a rather vivid illustration of how poorly glass performs when its temperature shifts suddenly last night. I took a drinking glass (an Anchor Hocking Canton) out of the dishwasher just after the dishwasher had finished a cycle; the glass was very hot. I took a pitcher of filtered water out of the refridgerator; it was rather cold. I poured the water into the glass. The glass cracked and then split vertically, into two halves, along its length. One of the halves simply fell over. The other fell off the counter onto the tile floor of our kitchen, where it shattered into many, many pieces.

I wish I had a video camera with me when the glass cracked and split. It might have been worth a few views on YouTube. *sigh* Oh well, now I'll never know.

said drgeek on 2008-07-13 at 9:15 p.m.

|

The Wayback Machine - To Infinity And Beyond

those first two estates - 2009-02-04 12:58 p.m.
nativity - 2009-02-03 9:28 p.m.
I am with Brahman - 2009-01-28 9:43 p.m.
angry - 2009-01-25 2:58 p.m.
i am - 2009-01-23 8:33 p.m.