Transparencey of glass

[murulidhara]

Can any one tell me why transparent glass becomes opaqe when broaken?

Is the phenomenon same with ice?

 

Thanks.

[insane_alien]

tiny cracks disperse and reflect light. if these are present in enough quantity then the glass(or ice) will become opaque as it reflects and scatters most light. in ice the main cause is bubbles rather than cracks.

[Think it thru]

What kind of glass are you speaking of, safety glass, common window pane glass, or ????

 

I have never seen common window pane glass turn opaque when shattered, the shards always stay transparent.

[Cola]

I'm assuming he's talking about glass that "spiderwebs" when broken.The cracks would make the glass reflect in those spots creating the visual.