I think science too much, apparently.

AAarrgh, she had it wrong, read my post! This is a very well known question in cooking. She got it backwards. FAIL

The saying is that you are more likley to cut yourself with a dull knife because you need to apply more pressure and the knife is more likely to slip and cut you.

I agree with your friend's girlfriend, but for different reasons. Sharp knife would make a clean cut where as a dull knife would tear the skin and mangle the nerves.

"Ceteris paribus" wasn't in the question, so, to me, there is ambiguity. Also, "worse" can be subjective. I'd ask for some criteria and rules for testing (amount of blood, depth of cut, how long it takes to heal, etc.) to avoid any shenanigans.

Your friend's girlfriend got it wrong. She has poor comprehension skills.

The saying is that you are more likley to cut yourself with a dull knife because you need to apply more pressure and the knife is more likely to slip and cut you.

His girlfriend = Fail

No, other people don't think science enough.

Always use a sharp knife! You are more likely to cut yourself with a dull knife than a sharp one, because a dull knife requires you to use more force to get the job done.

I run into this problem ALLLL the time. And then when i try to explain why I answered like I did, and its really that they didn't ask the right question, i get the "Whatever" response. Its so annoying and frustrating.

Which is why I've learnt who is worth having such a discussion with and who I'm better off just agreeing with and letting the matter go.

they should probably give college courses for math and science majors on "dealing with non math and science people." it's easy to become elitist or arrogant when you are versed on a topic that others are not. It is the bane of the tech support analysts existence to have to deal with "stupid people" (who aren't necessarily stupid, just non computer savvy) all day, and the good ones know how to do it without alienating their clients, friends, wives, girlfriends...

-daveka

pebcak

My friend's girlfriend asked us a question from one of her home ec classes to stump us. I'm sure you've all heard it before.

"What will give you a worse cut, a dull knife, or a sharp knife."

My response: "a sharp knife, because obviously, its narrower edge allows it to split materials more efficiently (it can be thought of as a wedge..)"

She responds, proudly: "Nope! With a dull knife you aren't paying attention because you think that since it's dull it won't cut you, so you're more likely to mess up and cut yourself."

A friend responds: "Yeah, you just aren't thinking deep enough into it."

I explain to them: "No, I think it's more of the fact that I don't see how it make sense to make a judgment call on the person handling two materials when trying to compare two materials."

I was thinking science too much, they said. And perhaps they are right. When I hear this question asked I want an experiment set up where there are no mysterious variables like the snotty disposition of the person while using the dull knife. I want the same event repeated with the dull and sharp knives.

It's like saying "which is more malleable, gold or nickel?" Nickel, because you assume gold is more malleable so you hit it harder, which breaks it. Therefore nickel is more malleable than gold.