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OranL
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Does anyone know what physical principle theoretically prevents something from being torn into three pieces from two forces being applied? (E.g. pulling on both sides of a piece of paper will never tear it into three pieces.)
This web-page also explains why you can't do it for plain paper:If you were to tape a coin to the middle piece of paper, that would dramatically increase its inertia. It is then it is a fairly simple matter to tear the paper into three pieces. Pull sharply on the two outside edges and both outside pieces split away, because the inertia of the heavy middle piece keeps it stationary while the outside pieces tear off.
No matter how small the last remaining vestiges of paper are at the bottom of the tears, one will always be stronger than the other and will remain intact while the other side tears apart. What makes this work, however, is that the centre piece of paper is extremely light and thus has little inertia. It simply tags along with one side or another.
This is due to the physical properties of materials. In order to tear an object, the force applied must be greater than the internal forces holding the object together. However, for most objects, these internal forces are evenly distributed, making it impossible to tear into three pieces.
Yes, there are some materials that can be torn into three pieces, such as paper or fabric. This is because these materials have a weaker internal structure and the force applied can overcome the internal forces holding them together.
No, even with a strong force, it is still impossible to tear an object into three pieces. This is because the internal forces are evenly distributed and cannot be overcome by a single force.
There are some rare cases where an object can be torn into three pieces, but these are usually due to the specific structure and composition of the material. For most everyday objects, it is still impossible to tear into three pieces.
No, cutting an object is a different process than tearing. Cutting involves using a sharp object to create a clean break in the material, while tearing is using force to pull the material apart. Therefore, cutting an object into three pieces is not the same as tearing it into three pieces.