English Notes Chapter 2.6 – How Glass is Made Class 6 Maharashtra Board

Notes For All Chapters – English Class 6

1. Introduction

• Glass is a beautiful and useful material.
• It is used to make many everyday things like:
  • Light bulbs
  • Bottles and jars
  • Glasses (for drinking and reading)
  • Windowpanes
  • Marbles
• Glass is a man-made material.

2. What is Glass Made From?

• Glass is made from sand!
• Clean white sand is mixed with chemicals like:
  • Soda (sodium carbonate)
  • Lime (calcium carbonate)
• This mixture is heated in a furnace until it melts into a hot liquid.
• When cooled, it becomes hard and stiff.

3. How is Glass Shaped?

• Once glass cools down, it becomes brittle (breaks easily) and cannot be shaped.
• So, glass must be shaped while it is still hot and soft.
• Methods of shaping glass:
  • Pouring into molds to make bottles, bulbs, and other objects.
  • Rolling it into flat sheets for windows.
  • Blowing it into different shapes.
  • Floating it on molten metal to make very smooth glass sheets.
  • Drawing it into thin fibers to make glass wool.

4. Properties of Glass

Glass has many useful properties:
Transparent – We can see through it.
Strong and Hard – It can hold weight.
Impermeable – It does not allow water or liquids to pass through.
Safe for Food – It does not change the taste or smell of stored food.
Smooth Surface – It can be cleaned easily.
Beautiful Appearance – It is used for decoration.

5. Colored Glass

• Normal glass is colorless, but it can be made colored by adding special chemicals.
• Some colors of glass:
  • Blue, Violet, Green, Red, Yellow, Pink, Orange, Black, White
• Colored glass is used to make stained glass windows, especially in churches and decorative art.

6. Recycling Glass

• Glass can be 100% recycled.
• Old glass can be melted and used to make new glass.
• Benefits of recycling glass:
  • Saves energy – Recycling one glass bottle can save enough energy to power a TV for 20 minutes!
  • Cheaper than making new glass.
  • Better for the environment.
• So, we should always handle glass carefully and recycle it whenever possible.

7. Important Vocabulary

• Furnace – A very hot oven used to melt materials.
• Brittle – Something that breaks easily.
• Transparent – Something we can see through.
• Impermeable – Something that does not allow liquids to pass through.
• Mold – A shape in which liquid material is poured to make objects.
• Stained Glass – Colored glass used for decoration.
• Recycling – Reusing old materials to make new things.