If I cut a thing in two, are the two pieces together exactly the same size as the original?

Or to rephrase it: does a knife/scissors/etc just split something or does it remove something?

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[–] 32 points 11 months ago (1 child)

The term for the material removed to make a cut is kerf. You hear about it a lot with woodworking as not taking into account can lead to inaccuracies in the final dimensions of your materials.

I would think separating a material by passing another through it is cutting while separating materials with only force would be breaking if it happens along a length or tearing of it happens gradually from a single point.

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