Have you ever tied a rope, narrow a lace or fixed something thinking: “This will keep”? Well, you may be wrong. And you’re not the only one. According to new research conducted to Johns Hopkins University, Most people are unable to understand which node are really resistant. And no, it is not enough to have made a thousand flakes to the shoes to get by.
In the experiment, the participants observed Couples of knots apparently similar. They were simply asked: “What is the strongest?”. The answer, for many, was the wrong one. Even among those who guessed, almost nobody knew how to explain Why. They looked at the wrong detailsjudging according to the aspect, and not to the real structure of the node.
To carry on the study was Sholei CROOMPhD student passionate about embroidery, together with his teacher Chaz Firestone. It all started when, looking at the tangle of threads behind his cross -stitch work, CROOM wondered: “But why can’t I understand where he starts and where this knot ends?”. From there the idea started: Maybe the knots are really a blind point for our brain.
Even if they show us videos, drawings and explanations, we continue to make mistakes
The researchers tried in every way to make the task easier: Video of the nodes that rotate, stepped pace schemes, sharp images. Nothing to do. Participants continued to choose the wrong knots. And more information received, The more the answers became confused.
But why does it happen? According to Firestone, the reason is that Our “intuitive physics” is not made to manage flexible objects. We are good at predicting what happens to a ball that falls or a glass that reverses. But when we enter the world of ropes, threads and intertwining, our predictive skills go haywire.
Let’s think: a rope moves, folds, twists. It is not rigid as a stone or brick. And for our brain, Mentally simulate how such a complex material will behave is a company. Even modern 3D software struggle to make the movement of a rope realistic. Let alone our nervous system.
The knots exist from before the wheel, but they remain a mystery
Nevertheless, The art of the knot is very ancient. The first human beings used them much before learning to turn on the fire. We find representations in Egyptian art, Greece, China. Neanderthals also probably made cords.
And today? The knots continue to make the difference between safety and disaster. A wrong knot can compromise a climb, make the load of a truck lose, endanger a boat.
The “Reef” nodefor example, is one of the most solid and reliable. But if you confuse it with the “Grief” knotwho melts with a pulled, you are in trouble. Unfortunately, according to the study, This is exactly what most people do: they judge badly, they rely on the eye, and not to experience.
The beauty (or the ugly) is that This difficulty may not be definitive. The researchers have not included experts as sailors or mountaineers, but suspect that With practice it can be improved. And this could open the way to new ways of “training” our physical intuition.
As CROOM said:
It is a perfect example of what we still do not know about the way we understand the world that surrounds us.
If you want to test yourself, You can take the same test as the participants: you can find it on the official website of the study, published in the magazine Open Mind.
