this post was submitted on 15 Nov 2024
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[Thread] Mental Math (mander.xyz)
submitted 14 hours ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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[–] [email protected] 69 points 14 hours ago (4 children)

When sharpening knives, with practice you can tell when you are done by sliding your fingertips along (not across) the sharpened bevel. It's possible to feel imperfections measured in micrometers this way.

[–] [email protected] 60 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

If the earth were shrank down to the size of a golf ball, you could feel houses.

[–] [email protected] 114 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

That seems wildly unnecessary. I can already feel houses.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 hours ago (2 children)

I'm sure there's some actual science thing they're referencing here, but I don't understand it. Who can't feel houses?

[–] [email protected] 11 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

Both a house and a golf ball are unbelievably tiny compared to the size of the Earth. The idea that you can shrink the Earth many thousands of times over and be able to feel a house parallels with our ability to feel micro imperfections on knife blades.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 4 hours ago

Oh! As in, should you be an outside observer, and grabbing the whole planet, you'd be able to feel houses on its surface if it were the size of a golf ball?

Presumably you'd feel like crushing under your fingers like the hairs on a kiwi lol

[–] [email protected] 10 points 10 hours ago

People without fingers, I guess

[–] [email protected] 19 points 13 hours ago

We have equipment to measure down to microns, and my students often test how fine details they can feel.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

I mean, most people do it across, rather than along the blade, what with the necessity of detecting a burr, which can't usually be felt length wise. You slide along the blade, and it is sharp, if you screw up you get cut.

That doesn't take away from what you're saying, it's very true, no matter which direction you're feeling. Just normal, average fingertips can pick up stuff like that, that you'd need a microscope to see. It's a trip!

[–] [email protected] 9 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

The burr is also detectable lengthwise. When starting with a dull blade it feels smooth while sliding fingers lenghtwise. When the burr is formed, it starts to feel rough. When it feels like it's digging into skin, it's sharp. It's a very subjective thing though, everybody has different fingers.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 hours ago

Is way better to draw your finger perpendicular to the edge to feel the burr. That way you don’t cut yourself on the edge or the burr itself.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

Source??

[–] [email protected] 10 points 8 hours ago

my half a finger