We use glass for a lot of things. It’s in our homes, our cars and in buildings. If you stop and think about it, we probably would not be able to live without glass. It lets light in, but keeps the cold out. It protects us from wind, and still allows us to see the world around us. Glass is everywhere in our world.

Glass is everywhere in our house. Many of the cups we drink from are made of glass. We have decorations in our house made from glass and light bulbs that are glass. Some houses even use glass for table tops or shelving. The windows in our house are glass. They keep us away from the cold and the heat. We also have glass in our shower doors. Some shower door glass is simple and thin, and some is fancy and thick. Sometimes the entire shower is made from glass, and sometimes just the door. The glass in showers is laminated so when it breaks the glass does not come apart. There is a thin layer of plastic that runs between two pieces of thin glass to make the finished glass piece. This prevents injury if the glass were to break.

Automobiles also have glass. They have windows and windshields made from glass. the glass in a car keep us safe from rain and debris. It also keeps us dry and away from the elements. Car windshields are also laminated and tempered. Tempered means that the glass has been strengthened through a heating process. When a windshield is hit with flying debris, it will not shatter. The glass will actually spiderweb and remain in tact.

Buildings also have glass. Architectural glass is specially tempered for strength and the glass is also designed to keep heat from passing though it. This allows a glass building to keep the heat of the sun out in the winter and keep the heat in during the winter. The way the glass is manufactured can really make an impact on the efficiency of the building.