plankonedge

Plankonedge is a hypothetical concept used in discussions of nanoscale mechanics and geometry to describe a transitional regime at the boundary between a thin planar sheet and its edge, where classical continuum assumptions may fail due to proposed Planck-scale discretization. The term is not widely standardized and appears in speculative or educational contexts to illustrate how edge phenomena might couple to fundamental length scales.

The word combines "plank" (as in a thin plate or slab) with "edge," signaling a boundary region. It is often presented as a thought experiment or modeling construct rather than an established physical law.

In theoretical models, plankonedge is characterized by a dimensionless coupling parameter that scales with thickness, edge length, and an assumed Planck-scale discretization length. It is used to examine how edge boundary conditions could be altered when the scale approaches the purported discreteness of space, as a way to bridge continuum plate theory with speculative quantum-gravity ideas.

The concept is primarily educational or exploratory, helping students and researchers discuss limits of standard theories, and to motivate more rigorous work in multiscale modeling. It has no confirmed experimental basis in mainstream science.

See also: Planck length, thin plate theory, edge effects, multiscale modeling, discrete geometry.