Why is packing tape nearly impossible to tear when intact, but easily shreds if you cut the slightest nick into it?
In: 6079
Imagine hanging onto a pullup bar with a full grip, if your pinky finger starts to slip, the ring finger has to hold harder as it takes more load, then it starts to slip and then it the next finger starts to slip, and so on until you can’t hold and your grip breaks.
The slipping is like plasticity, you have a little bit of slip or stretch before you completely let go, but that finger isn’t holding on as well anymore and the next finger has to make up for it.
In the case of the inelastic tape, imagine you’re holding onto a tiny ledge with your fingertips. There’s almost no transition between slipping and just letting go. So even if it’s a gorilla holding on and they’re really strong, if you push their pinky off the ledge, they’re going to have to let go all at once because they can’t slip and redistribute their grip.
A trash bag can plastically deform and compensate for losing some “grip” or material holding it up. The tape is stronger, but has little ability to deform and compensate, causing it to let go all at once.
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