Why does a sharp nail split wood and a blunt one wont?

Question

I have always been taught when putting a nail into wood which could split, you should tap the point of the nail to dull it first. I have done this enough to say it works. A blunt nail will not split wood when a sharp one will.

In: Physics

Answer 1

The sharp nail acts like a wedge almost like a tiny splitting axe. A blunt nail acts as a whole puncher.