How does a sharp object break through other objects without initial force(unlike, for example, bullets etc)
In: Technology
You do need *some* initial force, you can press a razor blade against your skin gently and it won’t cut you.
Blades work by focusing the applied force onto a *very* small area, magnifying a small force into a very large one.
You push down on the knife with 3 pounds of force, but the knife edge has only 1/10,000th of an inch of surface contact with the potato you’re slicing. Right at the cutting edge, that 3 pounds magnifies to a crushing 30,000 PSI and shears through the chemical bonds holding the potato together.
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