"UC Berkeley mechanical engineers have shown why your shoelaces keep coming untied. It’s a question that everyone asks themselves, often after stopping to retie their shoes, yet no one had investigated. The answer, the study suggests, is that a double whammy of stomping and whipping forces act like an invisible hand, loosening the knot and then tugging on the free ends of your laces until the whole thing unravels.
Using a slow-motion camera and a series of experiments, the study shows that shoelace knot failure happens in a matter of seconds, triggered by a complex interaction of forces. The study is more than an example of science answering a seemingly obvious question. A better understanding of knot mechanics is needed for sharper insight into how knotted structures fail under a variety of forces.
For the full story, visit:
http://news.berkeley.edu/2017/04/11/shoe-string-theory-science-shows-why-shoelaces-come-untied/ ..."
From
http://abc7.com/science/why-do-shoelaces-come-untied-berkeley-researchers-found-out/1863052/ ...
5 Comments
hamsterallianceI'm a fan of tying my shoelaces once and then never untying them. I just slip my foot in and out of the shoe. The laces never come apart.
antWhat's your secret to keeping them tied forever? Mine always come off. I can't tie shoes due to my disabilities.
I'm a fan of tying my shoelaces once and then never untying them. I just slip my foot in and out of the shoe. The laces never come apart.
hamsterallianceI think it's just getting the knot really tight, to where you'd need to poke a pointed tool into the knot to undo it. Which is just a lot of hand tightening and then flexing it with your foot and the tongue of the shoe to really lock it in place. At least I've had success with just doing that with all my shoes over the years.
What's your secret to keeping them tied forever? Mine always come off. I can't tie shoes due to my disabilities.
antYeah, I have had the shoes tied hard with big knots too. Maybe you should tie my shoes. I think the problem is that I like to cross my feet and laces get pulled and stuff beside walking like in this video.
I think it's just getting the knot really tight, to where you'd need to poke a pointed tool into the knot to undo it. Which is just a lot of hand tightening and then flexing it with your foot and the tongue of the shoe to really lock it in place. At least I've had success with just doing that with all my shoes over the years. Also, I don't like wearing tight shoes.
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