Why is it that when you cut a small part of plastic it makes tearing much easier?
In: 17
It’s kind of like how a knife is able to cut things, but in reverse.
A sharp knife takes your applied force and concentrates it down to a tiny area that is able to push through what you’re cutting. If you apply the same amount of force with, say, your thumb, it’s obviously not gonna work as well because of the bigger area.
Likewise, having a small cut means that the tension forces get focused down to the “point” of the cut. Without it, you’re just stretching the whole width between where you’re pulling.
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