This is a little physical puzzle related to braiding. I’m not sure where I first heard about it. If you know a reference to it, please let me know.
The puzzle is to switch the braid from the unbraided state (at the top) to the braided state (at the bottom).
The following article classifies all braids which can be braided in this manner. It is pretty heavy group theoretic reading.
Shepperd, J. A. H. “Braids Which Can Be Plaited with Their Threads Tied Together at Each End.” Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series A, Mathematical and Physical Sciences, vol. 265, no. 1321, 1962, pp. 229–44. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/2414231. Accessed 28 Sept. 2024.
Someone on Braids and Bands pointed out that this puzzle is ABoK #2954.
Published: Sep 28, 2024
Last Modified: Oct 11, 2024
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