Topology: What Giant Sweatpants And Pencils Tied To Shirts Share

A young boy sits on the carpet, his feet disappearing into a giant pair of sweatpants he put on over his own clothes before loosely tying his ankles together. He has taken the sweatpants off and is now trying to put them back on inside out without removing the ankle cuffs. Yes, it can be done.Holly Bernstein, who earned a PhD in mathematics at Washington University in St. Louis in 1999, watches him struggle for a bit and then says, “Remember the pants have more than one hole. You don’t necessarily have to put them back on the way you put them on in the first place.” read more

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