Monday, June 07, 2010

Untangling the Mystery of Knotted Flex

Rats, won't keep the snarls out of long hair worn loose :-D

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100606202219.htm

ScienceDaily (June 7, 2010) — Aston University scientist Robert Matthews believes his "Loop Conjecture" theory can prevent knots in everything from simple flex through to mountain and sailing ropes and potentially DNA structure

We all know the problem: given half a chance, headphone cords, electric flex and the like will tie themselves into a hopelessly tangled knot. How do they do it -- and what can we do to prevent it?

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Robert Matthews, Visiting Reader in Science at Aston, has developed a mathematical theory which suggests the risk of knots forming can be dramatically reduced much more easily -- and without any gizmos. According to the "Loop Conjecture," all that's required is that the loose ends of cord, flex etc be clipped together, forming a simple loop. Rough estimates based on the mathematics of so-called "Self Avoiding Walks" suggest looping could produce up to a ten-fold reduction in the risk of knots forming in headphone flex.

Those taking part in The Great British Knot Experiment will compare the risk of getting knots in both open-ended and looped cord, to see if they follow the formulas underpinning the "Loop Conjecture". Participants will also be able to go further, looking at the effect of cord thickness, rigidity and other parameters likely to affect knotting risk.

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