Define glass. What is the chief component of glass? Name three types of glass.

Glass is a non-crystalline, often transparent amorphous solid, that has widespread practical, technological, and decorative applications. It is made by cooling molten ingredients such as silica (silicon dioxide) fast enough that they do not have time to arrange themselves into a crystal structure.

The chief component of glass is silica (silicon dioxide, SiO2), which makes up about 74% of the typical glass mixture.

There are many different types of glass, each with different properties and uses. Three examples are: 1. Float Glass: This is a basic glass made of silica, sodium oxide, and calcium oxide, with small amounts of alumina, magnesium, and boron. It is called 'float' because of the method of its manufacture, where molten glass is floated on a bed of molten metal. 2. Tempered Glass: This is a type of safety glass that is processed by controlled thermal or chemical treatments to increase its strength compared with normal glass. 3. Laminated Glass: This is a type of safety glass that holds together when shattered. It's held in place by an interlayer, typically of polyvinyl butyral (PVB), between its two or more layers of glass.