Call me easily amused but I've been messing with one for about half an hour and I'm starting to wonder if something like this should even be able to exist.
2006-11-28 11:02:23 · 6 answers · asked by Z, unnecessary letter 5 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
This is just the simplest example of what happens when an n-dimensional object is "folded" through an n+1 dimensional space. It's a two-dimensional surface that is folded through three-dimensional space in a manner that yields a surface with only one side and one edge. Compare this to the Klein bottle, in which the mouth of a three-dimensional bottle is folded through four-dimensional space in a manner that yields a bottle with no inside or outside. Or consider a tesseract, which is a four-dimensional cube. See Robert A. Heinlein's short story "And He Built a Crooked House..." for some interesting conjecture.
2006-11-28 11:13:40 · answer #1 · answered by hevans1944 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
well, it exists, so the question of whether it should be able to exist is kinda moot. You already know what one is, but here's a refresher: take a strip of paper, give it a half-turn, and tape the two ends together.
If you really want some fun, a close relative of the Mobius strip in multiple dimensions is called a Klein bottle.
2006-11-28 19:13:13 · answer #2 · answered by Keiron 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The infinity symbol a sideways 8
2006-11-28 19:20:36 · answer #3 · answered by Robert O 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
In some mechanical power transmission systems it is done. Oviously it does exist. But it's something of an optical illusion.
2006-11-28 19:13:37 · answer #4 · answered by Sophist 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Unbeknownst to us, the Mobius strip is wondering the same thing about you.
2006-11-28 19:07:37 · answer #5 · answered by Atrocious 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Someday, somewhere, someone is going to find a use for it.
2006-11-28 19:06:21 · answer #6 · answered by Mr. Right 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋