DIRAC'S STRING PROBLEM

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Mathematics
Dirac's String Problem


Briefly, Dirac's String Problem is to explain mathematically why you can untwist a double twisting of loose (or elastic) strings with fixed ends without cutting it up, and why, on the other hand, you cannot do it with strings having only a single twisting.

The following presentation of Dirac's String Problem was given on a shopping bag celebrating the 500th anniversary of the University Library in Copenhagen.

Story of a Shopping Bag.

Click on the images to view the front and the back of the shopping bag.

Front of the bag
Back of the bag

To illustrate the movements of strings, I have animated the series of pictures on the back of the shopping bag. Like to see it?