News Physics

Paper cut physics pinpoints the most hazardous types of paper

The sheet’s thickness and slicing angle determine a finger’s fate 

A photo of a hand with a paper cut on the index finger.

The thickness of a piece of paper determines how likely it is to cause paper cuts, physicists report.

Chip Simons/Getty Images

By Emily Conover

Any way you slice it, a paper cut is painful. 

Magazines, letters and books harbor a devious potential for minor self-induced agony. But other types of paper — like thin tissue paper or the thicker stuff used for postcards — are less likely to offend. Scientists have now explained the physics behind why some paper is more prone to shred fingers.