HOW TO – Generate and identify random knots in a piece of string

Science

By Phillip Torrone

Phillip Torrone

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January 9th, 2008 4

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The latest Citizen Scientist has a great article about knots Dorian M. Raymer! –

What governs the annoying formation of random knots in strings, cords, and garden hoses? Mathematicians have studied knots for more than a century, but only in the abstract. As physicists, we have also found this to be an interesting physics problem. What is a knot? How many different knots exist? How do knots form? The word knot has several meanings. Colloquially, a knot refers to a string that is tangled or interlaced with itself or another strand of rope.

HOW TO – Generate and identify random knots in a piece of string – Link.

4 thoughts on “HOW TO – Generate and identify random knots in a piece of string”

Jo says:

January 9th, 2008 at 4:31 pm

I don’t care how long it’s been studied. I still think string theory is a sham.

:rimshot:
bobbo says:

January 11th, 2008 at 12:08 am

while string theory utilizes knot theory, they are not at all equivalent