system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: How do lasers cut through objects?
gpt
Light is a form of energy, like thermal energy etc. Laser light can be a very concentrated (focused) form of energy. Energy is conserved (it cannot be created or destroyed) so when high energy laser hits an object, that energy must be transformed to another form of energy, usually thermal. This raises the temperature of the object and, if the laser is strong and focused enough, it will melt or boil or burn at the point of contact. Move the laser and it will resemble a cut.