I've recently come across the fact that glass is an amorphous solid and is known as a pseudo solid or a super cooled liquid. Our teacher told us that buildings that if we were to closely observe the glass in the window panes, we would find that it's thicker at the bottom. I'm now wondering if we can calculate the difference between the width of the top and bottom of the window, would it be possible to determine an approximate age of a building?
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1It's possible, but you must know the fluidity of glass. Besides, it must be sure that the glass was initially made perfectly with even thickness. – Pritt says Reinstate Monica Apr 20 '17 at 06:19
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@PrittBalagopal ...and that would be a problem if we are to deal with Drawn Sheet glass. – Berry Holmes Apr 20 '17 at 06:33
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This is but an urban legend. Glass does not get thicker at the bottom. (Sure, glass is fluid to some tiny extent, and it can be demonstrated, but not in this way.) It is just that the glass panes were initially manufactured with uneven thickness. Then the people who stuck the glass into the frames would orient the thicker side down, maybe because it is more stable this way, or because it feels right, or just to mess with us. Sometimes they didn't pay attention and turned it randomly.
Ivan Neretin
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