Catch The Wind

The sound of shattering glass is one of the most piercing, frightening and recognizable sounds on earth. Every piece of glass has a natural resonant frequency, which is the speed at which it will vibrate if bumped or otherwise disturbed by some stimulus, such as a sound wave.

Glass wine goblets are especially resonant because of their hollow tubular shape, which is why they make a pleasant ringing sound when clinked. If a person sings the same tone as that ringing note, the sound of their voice will vibrate the air molecules around the glass at its resonant frequency, causing the glass to start vibrating as well. And, if that tone is sung loudly enough, the glass will vibrate itself to smithereens.

Can't hit that note? Alternately, a strong gust of wind can lift the glass top from a patio table up, off the frame and across the yard, dashing it on the edge of the deck, breaking it into a gazillion pieces.

Yes, I speak from experience.

Our glass-topped patio table looked as light and airy as a summer day. It made it intact through three different moves with nary a scratch. Many a meal was eaten upon it, many a friendly gathering around it. A burst of wind changed all that, creating the opportunity to remember just how strong nature can be, returning the table top to smaller pieces, similar to the grains of sand from whence it came.

Fortunately the damage was limited to the table top. No people, cats or chickens were injured during this event. Tempered glass is a wonderful thing.

In the parable of the broken window, one side of the story is that "everybody must live, and what would become of the glaziers if panes of glass were never broken?". The light and airy summer days will be here soon enough; the table will be replaced, the manufacturer will be paid and life will go on.