Category Science

What is glass?

 

 

 

What have a window, a light bulb and a firefighter’s clothes got in common? They are all made from glass! This amazing material is all around you. It comes in lots of different shapes and sizes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glass is a very useful material.

Glass has many special features. Light can shine through glass and you can see through it. It is smooth and colourless. Glass does not let water through – it is waterproof. Glass does not rot or turn rusty. It’s easy to make smudges or marks on glass, but it is also easy to clean!

 

 

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What is glass made of?

 

 

Most of the glass that we use is made in a factory. It is made from a mix of sand and other materials. When the mixture is heated, it turns into a thick liquid that looks like see-through treacle. The hot liquid cools down and turns into hard glass.

 

 

 

 

 

Glass is made from natural materials.

Glass is made from natural materials – sand, soda and lime. These materials are cheap and plentiful, and found all over the world. They are dug out, or quarried, from the ground. Other materials are sometimes used to make certain types of glass. However, sand is usually the main ingredient.

 

 

 

 

 

Other materials are added to make special types of glass.

Adding other ingredients to the basic glass mixture makes different types of glass. Coloured glass is made when different chemicals are added to the glass mixture. Thin wires are sandwiched inside a cooling glass mixture to make wire glass which is very strong.

 

 

 

 

 

Some natural glass is found in the Earth.

Natural glass forms in the mouth of a volcano. The heat of the volcano melts sand and other materials to form natural glass, called obsidian. This glass was first used by humans to make very sharp tips for spears!

Will natural gas last forever?

 

We are using up natural gas supplies very quickly. One day, we will run out of this form of energy. We need to find alternative sources of energy before it is too late.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some countries do not use fossil fuels very often. Other countries use them all the time.

In the industrialized world, we depend on fossil fuels for energy. Burning fossil fuels causes pollution. Pollution has an effect around the world, causing problems such as extreme weather patterns. Even countries that have limited energy sources are affected by pollution.

 

 

 

 

 

We can’t reuse or replace natural gas.

Natural gas is a non-renewable fuel. When supplies have been used up, it will take millions of years to make any more. However, some fuels, like wood, are renewable. We plant new trees so that there are always supplies of wood.

 

 

 

 

We are using up fossil fuels very quickly.

In 2003, scientists estimated that, at the rate we are using energy, there is enough natural gas left for about 66 years. Other scientists argue that new discoveries of natural gas deposits mean that we won’t run out of this fuel quite so soon.

Natural gas and safety

 

 

Natural gas burns easily, which makes it useful for providing energy. But this also means that gas can be dangerous. Great care must always be taken when taking gas from the ground, moving gas from place to place or using gas in the home.

 

 

 

 

 

 When gas is transported it has to be carried safely.

A single spark can cause gas to burn. Ships that carry gas (called tankers) now have to be specially made so that they are less likely to leak if they crash. Empty spaces in the tankers are also filled with a gas which will not catch fire.

 

 

 

Gas leaks are very dangerous.

If gas escapes and comes near to a flame or other chemicals, it can explode. In 2004, 23 people were killed when a gas pipeline exploded in Belgium. In 1988, an explosion on a drilling rig in the North Sea, called Piper Alpha, also caused many deaths.

 

 

 

 

Gas smells like rotten eggs!

When natural gas comes out of the ground, it does not smell. A chemical is added to make it smell unpleasant, but very noticeable! If you smell natural gas you should tell a grown-up straightway. People from a gas company can find the leak and make it safe.

Natural gas and pollution

 

Each day, we use fossil fuels to drive our cars and to make electricity for computers and lights. These fuels release chemicals into the air that can harm our world. This is called pollution.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Burning huge amounts of gas creates pollution.

In some parts of the world, oil is drilled to be used as fuel. Any natural gas released from the same area is left to burn in blazing fires, because it is too costly to store and transport. This is called flaring. These raging fires release many chemicals that harm the local area. It would be better if this gas could be stored and then used for fuel.

 

 

 

 

Pollution is making the Earth hotter.

Fossil fuels release a gas called carbon dioxide when they burn. This gas acts like a blanket, trapping the Sun’s heat around the Earth. This extra heat can cause extreme weather conditions, from terrible storms to hotter weather.

 

 

 

 

Natural gas is one of the cleanest fossil fuels.

When gas is burned it does not produce as many harmful chemicals as other fossil fuels. A gas-powered car or bus creates less pollution than a petrol-powered vehicle. Many people are now using this cleaner fuel.

Unusual uses of natural gas

 

 

We use natural gas to heat our homes and to make electricity in a power station. But there are also other hidden ways that we use this fuel. Helium balloons are filled with a type of natural gas, for example.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We use the chemicals in gas to make things.

Before natural gas reaches our homes, some of its chemicals and gases are taken out. These are made into other chemicals that can be used to make washing powders, plastics and even medicines. Natural gas is used in many areas of our lives!

 

 

 

 

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