What Causes the ‘Crack’ of Breaking Glass?

Glass makes a ‘crack’ sound when it breaks because of the way it shatters. When you hit glass, it starts to break in tiny pieces all at once, and each piece vibrates really fast, that vibration is what we hear as the crack! It’s like when you snap your fingers, quick, sharp, and loud.

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Examples

A glass cup shattering on the floor makes a loud crack as it breaks into pieces.
When you drop your phone screen and it cracks, it makes that sharp crack sound.
Breaking a window with a hammer creates a big crack noise.

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Categories: Science · sound,physics,materials science