Final answer:
To identify glass, refractive index measurements and X-ray diffraction, which is part of X-ray crystallography, are two effective methods that reveal the material's composition and atomic arrangement.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine the identity of a type of glass, two tests that can be done are refractive index measurement and X-ray diffraction. The refractive index of a material is a measure of how much light is bent, or refracted, when entering the material. This property is unique to the material's composition and can be used to identify the type of glass. On the other hand, X-ray diffraction involves directing a beam of X-rays at a crystal structure, such as glass; the resulting diffraction pattern provides information about the atomic arrangement within the material. This technique, also known as X-ray crystallography, was famously used by Rosalind Franklin in providing data to Watson and Crick for the structure of DNA and is applied in current research on high-temperature superconductors. These techniques are key in materials science for determining the properties of various substances.