# Could regular scissors cut carbon nanotube?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-regular-scissors-cut-carbon-nanotube/599076>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 9, 2011, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-regular-scissors-cut-carbon-nanotube/599076 "2011-10-09T15:34:02Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\
**Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-regular-scissors-cut-carbon-nanotube/599076/21 "2011-10-11T14:36:12Z")

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> [@SCSimmons](#):
>
> Yes. It looks like magic–but it’s science! 😃 There’s an upper anchor above geosynchronous orbit which wants to fall _away_ from the Earth, as it’s being drug along too fast an orbit for its altitude; and the whole thing, on balance, is stable. (Until the asshole with the pruning shears comes along.)

Drug? 🙂

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**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\
**Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-regular-scissors-cut-carbon-nanotube/599076/22 "2011-10-11T15:13:37Z")

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> [@Colophon](#):
>
> Drug? 🙂

Yes. It’s really high.

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**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-regular-scissors-cut-carbon-nanotube/599076/23 "2011-10-11T16:55:38Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> If you cut the line will it go straight up so people standing next to will be safe or maybe it will get some horizontal velocity?

It’ll start off going straight up. Coriolis effects will eventually start it moving sideways, but it’ll be well above heads (or anything else man-made, other than another elevator) by that point.

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**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\
**Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-regular-scissors-cut-carbon-nanotube/599076/24 "2011-10-11T17:14:43Z")

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> [@AaronX](#):
>
> Can we make nanotubes long enough to cut with scissors? I thought the longest now is a few mm. I’ve seen CNT before, they looked like soot.

Depends on the size of the scissors, now, doesn’t it? 🙂

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**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\
**Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-regular-scissors-cut-carbon-nanotube/599076/25 "2011-10-11T18:27:23Z")

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> [@Senegoid](#):
>
> Scientist writes paper.

Shouldn’t that be [“paper disproves Spock”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iapcKVn7DdY)?

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**Author:** ![Qwertol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Qwertol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwertol)\
**Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-regular-scissors-cut-carbon-nanotube/599076/26 "2011-10-11T18:32:07Z")

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> [@Chronos](#):
>
> It’ll start off going straight up. Coriolis effects will eventually start it moving sideways, but it’ll be well above heads (or anything else man-made, other than another elevator) by that point.

Are you sure? I mean look at hammer throw as an example, wire isn’t pointed towards thrower at all time during flight of hammer, in fact it rotate around steel ball quite randomly.

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