Credits: Social Media
Scientists find magazine paper is second-biggest culprit in causing most paper cuts
Papercuts are annoying, painful, and also unpredictable. A new study has found the most dangerous type of material responsible for random cuts, followed by magazine papers.
Unlike other injuries that can be anticipated and prepared for, papercuts are very random and the outcome can bother you for days. So, a team of scientists took it upon themselves to understand the logic behind this, leading to an even more interesting discovery.
New study explains the physics behind papercuts
The good news is that not all papers cause random cuts. But you may want to be mindful while handling magazines because it’s a “close second” in hurting you.
Physicist Kaare Jensen and colleagues�experimented with a gelatin replica of the human issue to find out what material of paper is most dangerous to handle. The findings from the study are published in Physical Review E.
While paper too thin would easily fold against a surface, thick material doesn’t pierce through the human issue. However, a paper around 65 micrometers could slice the skin at a specific angle.
The dot matrix printer paper perfectly fits the scientists’ description of a dangerous paper, but luckily it is not in use as much as it used to be.
However, magazine paper was found to be the next most dangerous type of paper as it can also cut through the skin easily.
They made an interesting discovery
The paper centering the new study may not be so purposely in the printing anymore, but the thickness and the angle at which it makes clean cuts can be used for a different reason.
Kaare Jensen and her team designed a 3-D printed tool called the “Papermachete”. It acts like a single-use knife when loaded with a strip of printer paper.
The scientists intend to use more realistic, “finger-shaped materials” for future studies as it was “hard to find volunteers” for the current study.
