Glass
material · 3500 BC · Stone Age
An amorphous material made from molten silica.
Principles and materials it uses
- Silica (sand) — is made of. Glass is made from silica with additives.
- Kiln — uses. Glass is melted in a furnace.
- Soda ash — is made of. Soda lowers the melting point.
Where it is used
- Glassblowing — is used in. Molten glass is blown.
- Lens — is material for. Lenses are ground from glass.
- Mirror — is material for. Glass with a metal coating.
- Insulator — is material for. Glass or porcelain.
- Leyden jar — is material for. A glass jar with foil.
- Optical fibre — is material for. Silica glass.
- Vacuum flask — is material for. A Dewar flask.
- Greenhouse — is material for. Glass.
- Fibreglass — is material for. Glass fibre.
- Prism — is material for. Glass.
- Hydrometer — is material for. A glass tube with a weight at the bottom and a scale at the top.
- Test tube — is material for. Glass.
- Petri dish — is material for. Glass (now plastic).
- Spirit level — is material for. A glass vial.
- Hourglass — is material for. Bulbs.
- Glass bottle — is material for. Glass.
- Crystal Palace — is material for. Glass.
- Neon sign — is material for. Tubes.
- Mineral wool — is material for. Glass wool.
- Glass dome — is material for. Glass.
- Burette — is material for. Glass.
- Window glass — is material for. Roman window glass was cast from glass.
- Gothic cathedral — is material for. Stained glass is coloured glass.
- Magnifying glass — is material for. Lenses were ground from glass.
- Electroscope — is material for. An electroscope is a glass vessel.
- Telescope — is material for. The lenses are glass.
- Magic lantern — is material for. The images were painted on glass slides.
- Boyle’s air pump — is material for. The receiver is a glass bell jar.
- Electrostatic machine — is material for. Electrostatic machines are a glass globe or disc.
- Pitot tube — is material for. The Pitot tube is glass.
What it is a kind of
- Cover glass — includes. A smartphone’s cover glass is strengthened glass.
- Float glass — includes. Glass.
- Chemically strengthened glass — includes. Glass.