- published: 05 May 2015
- views: 17427
Tearing is the act of breaking apart a material by force, without the aid of a cutting tool. A tear in a piece of paper, fabric, or some other similar object may be the result of the intentional effort with one's bare hands, or be accidental. Unlike a cut, which is generally on a straight or patterned line controlled by a tool such as scissors, a tear is generally uneven and, for the most part, unplanned. An exception is a tear along a perforated line, as found on a roll of toilet paper or paper towels, which has been previously partially cut, so the effort of tearing will probably produce a straight line.
Materials vary in their susceptibility to tearing. Some materials may be quite resistant to tearing when they are in their full form, but when a small cut or tear is made, the material becomes compromised, and the effort needed to continue tearing along that line becomes less.
Materials can be characterized by standard methods to measure their 'tear strength'. There are several applicable standards which vary around the world. The variables which affect the tear strength can be summarized neatly by the quote:
The way you look at me
And the way I make you feel
Is tearing me apart
Is tearing you apart
Look at you and me, tearing each other apart
And the things we're doing to each other
I don't mean to do it
Is tearing us apart
So we better stop it now
Because we're tearing each other apart
You don't mean to do it
But it's harder to be with you
It's hard to be alone
I'm a lying liar with my pants on fire
Tearing myself apart
Slamming down the phone right in your face
Tearing you apart
So close, too close, not close enough
When I see you
Tearing each other apart
I want to tell you
But then I lose the words
Better walk away
And it tears me apart
Before we crawl away
I've got a hole inside
And I'm going to go inside
And I keep it deep inside
And it's there I'm going to hide
Sometimes things don't work out
Because I've got to get away
It tears you apart, it tears me apart
Sometimes happens all the time
To see if I'm ok