Question

Why does a glass sometimes break, if we quickly pour boiling water into it ?

(a) Hot water expands, pushing the glass out

(b) The hot water cools when it touches the glass, shrinking and pulling the glass in

(c) The glass becomes hot and expands causing the molecules to break

(d) The inside of the glass expands faster than the outside of the glass, causing the glass to break

Answer 1

The correct option is (d) The inside of the glass expands faster than the outside of the glass, causing the glass to break.

Explanation:

When hot water is poured into the glass the inner portion of the glass comes into the contact of hot water immediately while of outer portion after sometimes as heat is conduced through glass. As a result the inside of the glass expands faster than the outside of the glass and hence causes the glass to break.