Why does a sharp pencil hurt more?

Take a balloon and a pencil. Try to poke the balloon using both the blunt end and the sharpened end of the pencil individually. It is observed that the balloon bursts when the sharpened end of the pencil is used. Since the sharpened end has less area the pressure applied on the balloon will be more, bursting the balloon. Whereas when the blunt side of the pencil is used, the balloon is not able to burst because the area of the blunt side of the pencil was much larger thereby applying much less pressure.

Tutorialspoint

Updated on: 10-Oct-2022

93 Views

Kickstart Your Career

Get certified by completing the course

Get Started