It makes more sense (to me at least) to think of glass as an amorphous solid and expand the concept of “states of matter.” It doesn’t have a repeating crystalli

It makes more sense (to me at least) to think of glass as an amorphous solid and expand the concept of “states of matter.” It doesn’t have a repeating crystalline structure. I think expand the concept of states of matter is key. It really helps make sense of a lot more things when you move beyond just solid, liquid, and gas (and plasma). A good example are liquid crystals, in LCDs yes but also cell membranes. What state of matter is the cell membrane? It makes more sense to create a new phase to categorize it. The lipid molecules are arranged in a certain orientation to each other (crystalline) but are also free to shuffle past each other (liquid). This is not just academic. Your body uses cholesterol to modify the fluidity vs. crystalinity of your cell membranes so they don’t “freeze) (stiffen too much) in the winter or melt in the summer.