A group of students are wandering around a room. When their teacher claps, the students sit down wherever they are. This situation best models the formation of which type of solid?

1 Answer
Oscar L.
Jul 9, 2016

A glass.

Explanation:

The students sitting down immediately are like atoms suddenly freezing in place with no chance to get into rrder before solidifying. So the students/atoms are scattered about with gaps between them and no orderly pattern.

If the students were given time to get to their desjs, producing a nore orderly arranhement, that corresponds to atoms having more time to settle into a more orderly pattern. Then you would be simulating a crystalline solid.

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