Different types of scissors - sewing (left), paper (middle), kitchen (right)

Scissors are types of tools used for cutting thin material which requires little force. A broader definition of a tool is an entity used to interface between two or more domains that facilitates more effective action of one domain upon the other In Physics, a force is whatever can cause an object with Mass to Accelerate.

They are used for cutting, for example: paper, cardboard, metal foil, thin plastic, food, cloth, rope, and wire. Paper is thin material mainly used for writing upon printing upon or packaging Paperboard is a Paper -like material usually over ten mils (0 Metal leaf is a thin foil used for decoration It is also called composition leaf or schlagmetal. Plastic is the general common term for a wide range of synthetic or semisynthetic organic solid materials suitable for the manufacture of industrial products Food is any substance usually composed primarily of Carbohydrates Fats water and/or Proteins that can be eaten or drunk by an A textile is a flexible material comprised of a network of natural or artificial Fibres often referred to as thread or Yarn. A rope is a length of Fibers twisted or Braided together to improve strength for pulling and Connecting. A wire is a single usually cylindrical, elongated string of drawn Metal. Scissors can also be used to cut hair. Hair is a keratinised protein filament that grows through the epidermis from follicles deep within the Dermis. Unlike a knife, a pair of scissors consists of two pivoted blades, each called a scissor. A knife is a handheld sharp-edged instrument consisting of handle attached to a Blade used for cutting Most types of scissors are not particularly sharp; it is primarily the shearing between the two blades which cuts. Shearing in Continuum mechanics refers to the occurrence of a shear strain, which is a Deformation of a material substance in which parallel internal surfaces Children's scissors are even less sharp, and the blades are often protected with plastic. CHILD syndrome (or congenital hemidysplasia with ichthyosiform erythroderma and limb defects) is a genetic disorder Plastic is the general common term for a wide range of synthetic or semisynthetic organic solid materials suitable for the manufacture of industrial products

Mechanics

Mechanically, scissors are a first-class, double-lever with the pivot acting as the fulcrum. For cutting thick or heavy material, the mechanical advantage of a lever can be exploited by placing the material to be cut as close to the fulcrum as possible. In Physics and Engineering, mechanical advantage (MA is the factor by which a mechanism multiplies the force put into it For example, if the applied force (i. e. , the hand) is twice as far away from the fulcrum as the cutting location (e. g. , piece of paper), the force at the cutting location is twice that of the applied force at the handles. Specialized scissors, like bolt cutters exploit leverage by having a long handle but placing the material to be cut close to the fulcrum. A bolt cutter, sometimes called bolt cropper, is a tool used for cutting chains padlocks Bolts and wire mesh Scissors cut material by applying a local shear stress at the cutting location which exceeds the material's shear strength. A shear stress, denoted \tau\ ( Tau) is defined as a stress which is applied Parallel or tangential to a face of a material Shear strength in Engineering is a term used to describe the strength of a material or component against the type of yield or Structural failure where the

History

Scissors from 2nd Century Asia Minor

It is most likely that scissors were invented in 1500 BC in ancient Egypt. The 2nd century is the period from 101 to 200 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era. Anatolia (Anadolu Ανατολία Anatolía) or Asia minor, comprising most of modern Turkey, is the geographic region bounded by the Black Ancient Egypt was an Ancient Civilization in eastern North Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now ^[1] These were likely shears with the joint at the far end. ^[2] Cross-bladed scissors were invented by Romans around AD 100.

An immense stride in perfecting scissors was taken in 1761 when Robert Hinchliffe produced the first pair of modern-day scissors made of hardened and polished cast steel. He lived in Cheney Square, London and was reputed to be the first person who put out a signboard proclaiming himself "fine scissor manufacturer". London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. ^[3]

Fiskars scissors 1967

In a part of Sweden (now in Finland) an ironworks was started 1649 in the hamlet "Fiskars" between Helsinki and Turku. "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. Finland, officially the Republic of Finland ( is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. Helsinki (in Finnish;) or Helsingfors (in Swedish;) is the Capital and largest city of Finland. Turku, in Swedish Åbo ( pronounced,) is a city and the original capital of Finland on the southwest coast of Finland at the In 1830 a new owner started the first cutlery works in Finland, making among others scissors with the trade mark Fiskars. For the game see 1830 (board game. Year 1830 ( MDCCCXXX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display The Fiskars Corporation ( is a metal and consumer brands company founded in 1649 at Fiskars Bruk (Fiskarsin Ruukki a locality in Pohja municipality Fiskars Corporation introduced new methods in the manufacturing of scissors in 1967. ^[4]

Kitchen scissors

A pair of kitchen scissors

Kitchen scissors, also known as kitchen shears, are similar to common scissors. The main difference is the location of the fulcrum. Kitchen scissors have the fulcrum located farther from the handles to provide more leverage and thus more cutting power. High quality kitchen scissors can easily cut through the breastbone of a chicken. The chicken ( Gallus gallus, sometimes G gallus domesticus) is a domesticated Fowl which is traditionally believed to have descended from

Left handed scissors

left-handed (left) and right-handed (right) scissors

Most scissors are best suited to use with the right hand, but left-handed scissors are designed for use by the left. Left-handed scissors have handles which are comfortable to hold in the left hand. Because scissors have overlapping blades, they are not symmetric. This asymmetry is true regardless of the orientation and the shape of the handles: the blade that is on top always forms the same diagonal regardless of orientation. Human hands are also asymmetric and when closing the thumb and fingers do not close vertically, but have a lateral component to the motion. Specifically, the thumb pushes out and fingers pull inwards. For right-handed scissors held in the right hand, the thumb blade is closer to the body so that the natural tendency of the right hand is to force the cutting blades together. Conversely, if right-handed scissors are held in the left hand, the natural tendency of the left hand would be to force the cutting blades laterally apart. Furthermore, with right-handed scissors held by the right-hand, the shearing edge is visible, but when used with the left hand the cutting edge of the scissors is behind the top blade, and one cannot see what is being cut.

Some scissors are marketed as ambidextrous. Ambidexterity is the state of being equally adept in the use of both right and left Appendages (such as the Hands) They have symmetric handles so there is no distinction between the thumb and finger handles, and they have very strong pivots so that the blades simply rotate and do not have any lateral give. However, most "ambidextrous" scissors are in fact still right-handed. Even if they successfully cut, the blade orientation will block the view of the cutting line for a left-handed person. True ambidextrous scissors are possible if the blades are double-edged and one handle is swung all the way around (to almost 360 degrees) so that the back of the blades become the new cutting edges[1]. This article describes the unit of angle For other meanings see Degree. Patents (U.S. Patent 3,978,584 ) have been awarded for true ambidextrous scissors.

Using scissors designed for the wrong hand is difficult for most people, even for left-handers who have become accustomed to using the more readily available right-handed scissors. They have to unnaturally force the blades together to cut and stretch their necks over the top blade to see what is being cut. This unnatural motion can also cause marks on the hand, sores, and eventually calluses. A callus (or Callosity) is an especially toughened area of Skin which has become relatively thick and hard as a response to repeated contact or pressure

Shears

Lever shears (goldsmith tool)

Although often used interchangeably with "scissors," the term shears is reserved by those in the industry for scissors longer than 15 cm. A goldsmith is a Metalworker who specializes in working with Gold and other Precious metals usually in modern times to make Jewelry. ^[5] Others assert scissors are symmetric whereas shears distinguish between the thumb hole and the finger hole. ^[6] Like scissors, shears combine slightly offset jaws to cut material through physical shear, and combine this with levers to apply a considerable shear force. Shears are usually intended for cutting much heavier material than scissors.

Specialized scissors

Scissors from the Chinese Tang dynasty (618-907 AD)

There are several specialized scissors and shears used for different purposes. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National The Tang Dynasty ( Middle Chinese: dhɑng (June 18 618&ndashJune 4 907 was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by Events By Place Asia The Sui Dynasty ends and the Tang Dynasty begins in China. Events By Place Asia Oleg leads the Kievan Rus' in a campaign against Constantinople (see Rus'-Byzantine Some of these are:

• Pinking shears are scissors with a serrated cutting edge for cutting cloth so that the fabric does not fray. Pinking shears are Scissors, the blades of which are sawtoothed instead of straight
• Tin snips are scissors for cutting through sheet metal like tin plate, or corrugated galvanised iron. Tin snips are tools used to cut thin sheet metal There are two broad categories tinner snips which are similar to common scissors and compound leverage aviation snips which use a Sheet metal is simply Metal formed into thin and flat pieces It is one of the fundamental forms used in Metalworking, and can be cut and bent into a variety Corrugated galvanised iron (colloquially corrugated iron, commonly abbreviated CGI is a Building material composed of sheets of hot-dip galvanised
• Pruning shears (secateurs) and loppers are gardening scissors for cutting through branches of tree and shrubs. Secateurs (in British English) also called hand pruners or pruning shears, are a type of Scissors for use with plants Loppers are a type of Scissors used for Pruning twigs and small branches A tree is a perennial Woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or A shrub or Bush is a horticultural rather than strictly botanical category of Woody plant, distinguished from a Tree
• Trauma shears, or "tuff cuts", are robust scissors used in emergency medical response and rescue. Trauma shears are a type of Scissors used by Paramedics and other emergency medical personnel to cut clothes off injured people
• Trimming scissors are used for thinning thick hair to avoid a bushy look
• Grass shears are used for trimming grass. Grass is the common word that generally describes Monocotyledonous green Plants The family Gramineae ( Poaceae) are the "true grasses" and include
• Jaws of Life (see Hydraulic rescue tools) for cutting heavy sheet metal in a rescue response
• Throatless shears are used for cutting complex shapes in sheet metal
• Wool shears are used for collecting wool from an animal's fleece
• Poultry shears are to cut poultry. Hydraulic rescue tools are used by emergency rescue personnel to assist Vehicle extrication of crash victims as well as other rescues from small spaces A throatless shear is a cutting Tool used to make complex straight and curved cuts in Sheet metal. Sheep shearing, shearing or clipping is the process by which the woollen fleece of a Sheep is cut off Wool is the fiber derived from the specialized skin cells called follicles of animals in the Caprinae family principally sheep, but the hair of certain species Scissors are hand operated cutting instruments consisting of a pair of Metal Blades connected in such a way that the blades meet and cut materials placed Poultry is the category of Domesticated Birds which some humans keep for the purpose of collecting their eggs, or kill for their Meat and/or
• Hair shears - for cutting hair as a cosmetologist or hairdresser, or for pet grooming. Cosmetology (from Greek grc κοσμητικός kosmētikos, "skilled in adornment" and grc -λογία -logia) is the study

In the following, the blades meet and compress the material instead of shearing it so they are technically not scissors:

• Bolt cutters cut through heavy wire and bolts. A bolt cutter, sometimes called bolt cropper, is a tool used for cutting chains padlocks Bolts and wire mesh
• Nippers cut small pieces out of tile. A nipper or tile nipper (like a pair of Scissors or Pliers) is a Tool used to "nip" or remove small amounts of a hard material such A tile is a manufactured piece of hard-wearing material such as Ceramic, stone, metal or even Glass.
• Hemostat resembles a pair of scissors but has a locking clamp instead of a blade; it is used in surgery and does not cut at all. Invented by Stephen Hales in the eighteenth century a hemostat, also called a hemostatic clamp is a surgical tool which resembles a pair of needle Surgery (from the χειρουργική cheirourgikē, via chirurgiae meaning "hand work" is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental
• Pliers used for holding and crimping metal or wire. Pliers are Hand tools designed primarily for gripping objects by using Leverage.

Notes

1. ^ Who Invented Scissors
2. ^ scissors@Everything2.com
3. ^ http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~exy1/fh_material/18C_sheffield/ch4.txt
4. ^ http://www.fiskars.fi/pdf/Fiskars_history_eng.pdf
5. ^ Arius Eickert Differences Between A Scissor And Shear Technical Article
6. ^ http://www.canadacutlery.com/product/facts_on_scissors.pdf