would a line or edge of one molecule's thickness (or less!) better cut through things?

Question

and we're talkin', like, stone, steel, flesh, bones, 'n' space age alloys. would it need to be made of a conventionally strong (ie, steel-like) material? if this super string could exist, could it be bonded to the edge of a sword, to transfer its amazing cutting powers, or would it just cut through the sword, itself? can we make such lines, today? serious answers, please. non-fictive references would be appreciated.

Answer 1

This is about pressure and stress. Pressure and stress are simply defined as force over area (pressure=force/area). So theoretically, the finer you make a blade (i.e. the smaller the area of its edge), the less force you'll need to apply to create the same pressure and the easier it will cut. If you were going to try to cut something with a super-fine string (assuming it doesn't break), you would need to hold on to it with something that can resist more pressure than whatever it is that your cutting.

As far as applying this string to a sword, that wouldn't accomplish anything since the edge of even the finest sword is riddled with microscopic crevices, ridges and bumps. The string would essentially be lost on the sword's edge.

And yes, the technology to make such a string exists. The tip of the probe of a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) is comprised of a single atom (behind that atom is just 3 atoms, and 7 atoms right behind those). IBM used this probe to spell out the initials "IBM" by maneuvering individual atoms.

Answer 2

This microscopically sharp blade would still probably have to be made out of a naturally strong material, to keep from snapping. Hopefully you're not swinging a string around, though. It could exist, and we could likely make such a blade with great effort at our current technological level. I don't think you should entirely dismiss references from "fiction", because it's not a far out idea, in terms of being realized.

Answer 3

this brings up another question ...
"How would we *bond* this one-molecule thick
string to ANYthing?