Glass dish shattering phenomenon explained

What causes a glass dish to shatter into many pieces when exposed to a heating element?

When a glass dish is exposed to a heating element, why do the glass pieces fly in all directions if the glass dish was initially at rest in terms of kinetic energy?

Answer:

When a glass dish is exposed to a heating element, the glass shatters due to the stresses caused by differential thermal expansion. The release of stored potential energy causes the glass pieces to fly in all directions.

When a glass dish is subjected to heat, the temperature gradient causes different parts of the glass to expand at different rates. This differential expansion creates internal stresses within the material. If these stresses exceed the strength of the glass, it can lead to the glass shattering into multiple pieces.

As the glass dish shatters, the stored potential energy in the stressed regions of the glass is rapidly released as kinetic energy. This energy is then transferred to the glass pieces, causing them to move in all directions with great speed.

The process of thermal expansion is driven by the increase in kinetic energy of the glass molecules when heated. This energy leads to more vigorous molecular vibrations, causing the molecules to move farther apart and resulting in expansion of the glass material.

This phenomenon is similar to the release of energy in an explosion, where the glass pieces are propelled in all directions due to the sudden release of stored potential energy as kinetic energy. Thus, the glass dish shatters and the pieces scatter in all directions when exposed to a heating element.