Amorphous solids are a type of solid that lacks a well-defined ordered structure. They do not have a specific melting point but soften over a range of temperatures.
Think of amorphous solids like the pile of clothes in your room. The clothes (particles) are all over the place without any particular order or pattern, just like particles in an amorphous solid.
Glass Transition Temperature: This is the temperature at which an amorphous solid becomes soft upon heating or hard upon cooling.
Polymer: A large molecule composed of repeated subunits, often used to create plastics and resins, many of which are amorphous solids.
Viscosity: A measure of a fluid's resistance to flow. It describes how "thick" a liquid is. For amorphous solids, viscosity increases as temperature decreases.
Study guides for the entire semester
200k practice questions
Glossary of 50k key terms - memorize important vocab
© 2024 Fiveable Inc. All rights reserved.
AP® and SAT® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse this website.