Equation Works Out Kinks In Knot Math

Image credit:  fdecomite via flikr | ://bit.ly/1R2DiQt Knots are everywhere, from laces of shoes to stitches that seal cuts. Sailors and others have known since antiquity that some knots are stronger than others, but such knowledge came largely from intuition and tradition, rather than a fundamental understanding of what makes knots strong. Now, experiments with wires have helped scientists develop an equation explaining the forces involved within one of the simplest knots around, the overhand ...