Moebius strip riddle solved at last
A moebius strip is a loop that has an intriguing quality, dazzlingly exploited by Escher, in that it only has one side. To make one, take one end of a strip, twist it through 180 degrees, and then tape it to the other end.
Since 1930, the Moebius strip has been a classic poser to resolve the in the form of an equation.
In a study Gert van der Heijden and Eugene Starostin of University College London, say the strip's shape is its differing areas of "energy density".
"Energy density" means the stored, elastic energy that is contained in the strip as a result of the folding. Places where the strip is most bent have the highest energy density; conversely, places that are flat and unstressed by a fold have the least energy density.
If the width of the strip increases in proportion to its length, the zones of energy density also shift, which in term alters the shape, according to their equations.
A wider strip, for instance, leads to nearly flat, "triangular" regions in the strip, a phenomenon that also happens when paper is crumpled.
1 comment:
....and you can't fold a piece of paper (any thinckness) more than 7 times! Is there an equation for that?
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