The Medici Effect, With a New Preface and Discussion Guide

CHAPTER fifteen

Step into the Intersection …

AND CREATE THE MEDICI EFFECT

THERE IS A MYTH about glass. The myth says that glass is a liquid that in ordinary temperatures just looks like solid material. But if we had the patience, and the ability to watch it closely, we would see that glass is actually slowly flowing, like very thick, very sticky glue. The myth probably originated from the observation that old church windows appear to be thicker at the bottom than at the top. It has become a legend, something even knowledgeable teachers and parents tell children. But it is not true.

Egon Orowan at MIT commented on the phenomenon: “Half the pieces in a window are thicker at the bottom. But,” he added, “the other half are thicker at the top.”