© 2026 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Glass is Solid… So Why Is It Clear?

Season 8 Episode 25 | 5m 42s

Glass is made of sand, which is a kind of rock. But glass is transparent, and rocks aren’t transparent. What’s up with that? Why is glass clear? And why can I sit on a chair? And why can we touch anything? Today we zoom down to the weird world of electron clouds and quantum touching to find the answers.

Aired: 12/22/20
Extras
Get ready for the all-new season, coming January 17, 2027 at 9/8c.
The cast play a game of "What's in the vet bag?" with sentimental props from the series.
Seeds is a visual exploration of Black farmers and the power of owning land across generations.
See how the unique partnership between two countries made the iconic monument possible.
Get a sneak peek at a brand new season of NATURE on PBS.
Join Elmo and the Sesame Street gang on a once-in-a-lifetime African safari adventure.
Discover all-new Secrets of the Dead on Wednesdays this fall, starting October 14 at 10/9c.
New discoveries reveal how pivotal Great Zimbabwe was to global trade.
The story of the dolphin reveals how intelligence evolved, step by step, over billions of years.
Chinese pottery fragments reveal Great Zimbabwe’s far-reaching global trade network.
Latest Episodes
All
  • All
  • Be Smart Season 14
  • Be Smart Season 13
  • Be Smart Season 12
  • Be Smart Season 11
  • Be Smart Season 10
  • Be Smart Season 9
  • Be Smart Season 8
  • Be Smart Season 7
  • Be Smart Season 6
  • Be Smart Season 5
  • Be Smart Season 4
  • Be Smart Season 3
  • Be Smart Season 2
  • Be Smart Season 1
Why can hot water sometimes freeze faster than cold water?
How science unraveled one of the biggest myths in modern medicine...HIV's true origins.
I pushed my body in a climate & sports research lab to discover what extreme heat really does to us.
What exactly is the evolutionary purpose of love?
If everything around us is made of atoms, why can’t we actually see them?
This video explores the bizarre mathematics that show how infinity is far stranger than a number.
How Gerardus Mercator later created a map that transformed navigation forever.
DNA solves crimes, but what happens when it sends innocent people to prison?
Why are stop lights red? The real story is more complicated than you think.
How thousands of tiny brains, obeying simple rules, solve problems no individual can understand.