Does anyone know anything about how they form such intricate knots just by lying around in your pocket or other places? I mean like any studies, or mathematical analysis, or just some cool info. Appreciate any responses.
2007-05-30 12:34:43 · 3 answers · asked by Comrade Gutin 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Other - Science
The first answer is on the right track, it has to do with entropy, which is a large contributor to the Gibb's free energy, which is usually used to find spontaneous happenings in earth-like conditions, e.g. chemistry. The easiest way to look at it is this: Imagine all of the possible configurations of the cord in space (It's a lot). There's only one or two that are tightly coiled balls, there is only ONE state where it is perfectly straight across your lap, and innumerable states where it can be knotted up in all sorts of ways. If you were to pick a state of the cord at random, then, the chance of it being perfectly straight across your lap are virtually nil, the chance of it having a knot or two, very high.
2007-05-30 17:14:18 · answer #1 · answered by supastremph 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The ends of the wire, the headphones, are weighted, making them go everywhere. It means the go in and out, tangling themselves.
2007-05-30 19:56:45 · answer #2 · answered by samswebsite 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think that the law of thermodynamics applies here, everything in life always moves toward a more disordered state if left alone.
2007-05-30 19:43:17 · answer #3 · answered by ~Perfectly Flawed~ 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋