Glass transition

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/glass-transition

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the thermodynamic status?Metastable state with higher enthalpy than the corresponding crystalline form
2. What happens to a material during the glass transition?The material goes from a hard, brittle state to a soft, rubbery state as it warms. Molecules gain enough mobility to move more freely.
3. Why is the glass transition not the same as melting?Melting occurs at a single, sharp temperature with a clear change, while the glass transition happens over a range of temperatures and is smoother.

Amorphous solid: A solid lacking long-range order in its atomic or molecular arrangement, exhibiting a disordered structure.
Glass transition temperature (Tg): The temperature range where an amorphous material transitions from a rigid glassy state to a flexible rubbery state.
Vitrification: The process of forming a glass by cooling a liquid below its freezing point without crystallization.
Viscosity: A measure of a fluid's resistance to flow; higher viscosity means thicker and slower flow.