a happening...

[researcher88]

when you touch hot glass why does it seem more slippery?

 

What do you think?

[pulkit]

I am not sure but I'll hazard an explanation any how :

Glass is not really a solid but more of a super cooled liquid (this is why given sufficient time - say a few 100 years - and sometimes window glasses tend to flow downward and increase in thickness toward the bottom). Starting from the observation in the parenthesis I would have to say that heating glass would increase its fluid character and maybe thats why it might seem slippery.

[researcher88]

when you heat things up the atoms begin to vibrate, therefore maybe when you touch hot things they become slippery due to the excited atoms. Or maybe it is your fingers how it looses its moisture and grip.

 

I also touched hot metal quickly and it is slippery too.

[pulkit]

how hot was it when you touched it ?? I have delt with red hot cast iron, it does tend to soften up but certainly did not look slippery......held up in the tongs pretty well (thank God for that !!) .

[researcher88]

the glass and iron are not glowing...

the glass and that metal ( an alloy of some sort) are all shiny so you cant tell the difference...

 

why dont you heat a test tube with a jet flame about 5 seconds and then touch the glass quickly...you will notice my meaning.

[pulkit]

That slippery feeling might be because of some portion of the glass liquifying and forming a very thin skin atop.............I admit that this is a very far fetched and unlikely explanation.

[researcher88]

Yes I will keep your explanation in mind...but the metal goes slippery too that’s is why there might be another explanation...I will try to ask my science teacher.

 

Thanks for your contribute