How do headphones always get tangled

There are few day-to-day events that send me into a rage as quickly as a pair of tangled earphones. As soon as I put them down, they somehow thread themselves into an unholy mess. So how do headphones and other stringy objects get so knotted in such a short time? To find out, these physicists started by tumbling strings of different stiffness in a box. They then used these data and computer simulations to explain how the knots are likely formed see figure below ; basically, when jostled, the strings tend to form coils, and then the loose end weaves through the other strands, much like braiding or weaving.

And voila! Tangled headphones to make your day just that much angrier. Spontaneous knotting of an agitated string. We performed experiments in which a string was tumbled inside a box and found that complex knots often form within seconds. We used mathematical knot theory to analyze the knots. Hopefully Apple will pay attention to the science of tangling — and its own patent application filed in , which proposed thicker wires to prevent bending and looping — when it decides to release new earbuds at some point in the future.

For you. World globe An icon of the world globe, indicating different international options. Get the Insider App. Click here to learn more. A leading-edge research firm focused on digital transformation. Good Subscriber Account active since Shortcuts. Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders. It often indicates a user profile. Log out. US Markets Loading H M S In the news. In math, knots are always studied in closed loops and a knot is defined as a configuration that cannot be untangled into a simple loop.

They are classified based on their number of crossings. Two knots are considered equivalent if one can be transformed into the other without detaching the ends. Knots are classified by the number of crossings. Here are some of their useful results:.