With the help of color-changing fibers, MIT researchers develop a mathematical model to predict a knot’s stability. Credit: Image courtesy of the researchers How Strong Is Your Knot? With help from spaghetti and color-changing fibers, a new mathematical model predicts a knot’s stability. In sailing, rock climbing, construction, and any activity requiring the securing of ropes, certain knots are known to be stronger than others. Any seasoned sailor knows, for instance, that one type of knot will secure a sheet to a headsail, while another is better for hitching a boat to a piling.  But what exactly makes one knot more stable than another has not been well-understood, until now.  MIT mathematicians and engineers have developed a mathematical model that…

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• August 21, 2021
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