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Post Info TOPIC: New Study FINALLY Explains Why Your Shoe Laces Come United


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New Study FINALLY Explains Why Your Shoe Laces Come United
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New Study FINALLY Explains Why Your Shoe Laces Come Untied

It’s not bad luck, it’s just science.

X

It’s a problem no one has dared to study before: why, exactly, do shoelaces come untied? 

Three mechanical engineers at UC Berkeley ― Christine Gregg, Oliver O’Reilly, and Christopher Daily-Diamond ― have been busy figuring out the answer to one of life’s simplest (and most annoying) problems. According to their study, which was recently published in Proceedings of the Royal Society A, it all depends on two main factors: stomping and whipping forces. 

In order to arrive at these findings, the Cal Berkeley engineers videotaped Gregg while she ran on a treadmill. It was filmed in slow-motion so researchers could figure out what causes “shoelace knot failure.” 

STEVE DEBENPORT VIA GETTY IMAGES

“First, the repeated impact of the shoe on the floor during walking serves to loosen the knot,” the study says. “Then, the whipping motions of the free ends of the laces caused by the leg swing produce slipping of the laces. This leads to eventual runaway untangling of the knot.”

Stomping or whipping forces by themselves are not enough to untie the shoe, as both forces must take effect.  

In the study, the researchers also looked at the two most common ways people tie their shoes. The pictures from the study below illustrate both the strong and weak versions of the knots: 

THE ROYAL SOCIETY PROCEEDINGS A
From researchers Christopher A. Daily-Diamond, Christine E. Gregg and Oliver M O’Reilly.

“Some laces might be better than others for tying knots, but the fundamental mechanics causing them to fail is the same, we believe,” Gregg said in an interview with Berkeley’s website. 

And while the study about shoelaces sounds pretty simple, it could have major implications for DNA research. 

“When you talk about knotted structures, if you can start to understand the shoelace, then you can apply it to other things, like DNA or microstructures, that fail under dynamic forces,” Daily-Diamond told Berkeley’s website. “This is the first step toward understanding why certain knots are better than others, which no one has really done.” 

The HuffPost Lifestyle newsletter



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Frozen Sucks!

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OMG Wait a f'in minute! Please do not tell me my tax dollars fund such a "research" on untied shoes. As a parent I can tell you and you don't have to pay me thousands!

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My spirit animal is a pink flamingo.

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I tied my shoes the first time and never untied them unless I washed them.

I could go for months without my shoes coming untied.

Double knots are your friend.

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Nothing's Impossible

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I know what to do_sometimes wrote:

OMG Wait a f'in minute! Please do not tell me my tax dollars fund such a "research" on untied shoes. As a parent I can tell you and you don't have to pay me thousands!


 I was thinking the same thing.



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Hooker

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So.....a couple of years ago, G made me realize that I have been tying my shoes wrong. The "bow" was N/S. I was tying them backward. Now the bow is E/W. WTF?

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Rib-it! Rrrib-it!

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My laces never seem united.

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Owl drink to that!

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lilyofcourse wrote:

I tied my shoes the first time and never untied them unless I washed them.

I could go for months without my shoes coming untied.

Double knots are your friend.


 Same here I never untie my shoes I just slip them on and off



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Frozen Sucks!

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I just re read the title. "united" LOLLLLL

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Vette wrote:
lilyofcourse wrote:

I tied my shoes the first time and never untied them unless I washed them.

I could go for months without my shoes coming untied.

Double knots are your friend.


 Same here I never untie my shoes I just slip them on and off


What??????????????

Really????????

confuseconfuseconfuseconfuseconfuseconfuse

I can't even imagine.

The shoes would be ruined, in a week.

Folks actually do that?confuse 



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Guru

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Shoe Laces Unite!! It's a movement across the land!

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Mary Zombie wrote:

Shoe Laces Unite!! It's a movement across the land!


LOL! Mary you might be on to something!

Or, not/knot !wink

 



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My spirit animal is a pink flamingo.

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Fort Worth Mom wrote:
Vette wrote:
lilyofcourse wrote:

I tied my shoes the first time and never untied them unless I washed them.

I could go for months without my shoes coming untied.

Double knots are your friend.


 Same here I never untie my shoes I just slip them on and off


What??????????????

Really????????

confuseconfuseconfuseconfuseconfuseconfuse

I can't even imagine.

The shoes would be ruined, in a week.

Folks actually do that?confuse 


 It never hurt my shoes.



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Mod/Penguin lover/Princess!

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lilyofcourse wrote:
Fort Worth Mom wrote:
Vette wrote:
lilyofcourse wrote:

I tied my shoes the first time and never untied them unless I washed them.

I could go for months without my shoes coming untied.

Double knots are your friend.


 Same here I never untie my shoes I just slip them on and off


What??????????????

Really????????

confuseconfuseconfuseconfuseconfuseconfuse

I can't even imagine.

The shoes would be ruined, in a week.

Folks actually do that?confuse 


 It never hurt my shoes.


Sorry, I don't believe that, Lily.

If you want slip on shoes, buy slip on shoes.

To force your feet in and out of shoes, that are meant to be tied, ruins the shoes.

Not to mention, your feet. 



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Great cook-happy wife-superb fisherman

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I don't have to worry about shoe laces - I don't use them!!!

I buy new walking shoes at Walmart every three months -
the kind that use self-grip locks. I pop them in the washer
every week or so, so they look good for a long time. Sure,
they are cheap, and don't give a lot of support, but they
last for a couple of months, and look almost new when I
donate them to Goodwill.




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My spirit animal is a pink flamingo.

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Fort Worth Mom wrote:
lilyofcourse wrote:
Fort Worth Mom wrote:
Vette wrote:
lilyofcourse wrote:

I tied my shoes the first time and never untied them unless I washed them.

I could go for months without my shoes coming untied.

Double knots are your friend.


 Same here I never untie my shoes I just slip them on and off


What??????????????

Really????????

confuseconfuseconfuseconfuseconfuseconfuse

I can't even imagine.

The shoes would be ruined, in a week.

Folks actually do that?confuse 


 It never hurt my shoes.


Sorry, I don't believe that, Lily.

If you want slip on shoes, buy slip on shoes.

To force your feet in and out of shoes, that are meant to be tied, ruins the shoes.

Not to mention, your feet. 


 Well, it doesn't really matter if you believe it. 

I would get 1 new pair of reeboks a year, wear the crap out of them, then they became my "old" shoes and I'd get a new pair the next year for wearing out.

Rotated like that till about 7 years ago when I no longer could wear shoes like that.

 

My kids do the same thing with most of their shoes.

 

 



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Owl drink to that!

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My shoes last for 2-3 years before I replace them. I guess skechers are pretty sturdy.

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Guru

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I'm in the never untie mine group. It probably messes them up, who knows. They wear at the heal, so that could be from forcing my foot in/out. But about that time, it's time for a new pair anyway. But I don't wear lace up sneakers all that much. I have a pair of slip ons that are my "go to" if I'm going to rock the athleisure look.

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My spirit animal is a pink flamingo.

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I wore my reeboks 6 days a week.

School, marching, working, socializing.

Until I got my boots.

Then I wore them all the time.

Heels on dates and church.

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Give Me Grand's!

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This has to be one of the silliest studies ever done!

I tie my shoe strings wrong and backwards. They stay tied just fine.

They actually did a study.. bwahahaha

I bet they picked their noses while doing the study.



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