Which of the following is a characteristic of glass compared to traditional ceramics?

Glass is characterized as vitreous, meaning it has a glassy, non-crystalline structure. This is in stark contrast to traditional ceramics, which are typically crystalline materials composed of ordered atomic structures. The vitreous nature of glass results in unique optical and mechanical properties, making it distinct from other ceramic materials.

The term vitreous comes from the Latin word for glass, "vitrum," and emphasizes attributes such as transparency and smoothness. Unlike traditional ceramics, which may exhibit a more significant degree of porosity and often require higher temperatures for production, glass is formed by rapidly cooling molten materials to lock in the disordered molecular structure.

In other contexts, the properties of materials can involve varying levels of porosity, temperature requirements for production, and the structural arrangement of atoms. However, in comparing glass specifically to traditional ceramics, it is the vitreous quality that is quintessential to defining glass and highlighting its different characteristics.