**Ask a monkey a physics question thread**

[Poopadoop]

I would have thought there are two main culrpits... vibration, and tension... and both will be overcome by not tying a slack knot. Where the knot is slack, the vibrations/tension allows motion of the lace.

Good point about the tension. I'm guessing that has something to do with the elasticity of the laces. So when you pull it tight you stretch the lace, then it springs back.

I just tied up my dressing gown belt.

I like the idea that it's past noon and you're still in your getting out of bed clothes.

[Poopadoop]

For some knots it must also be the case that outside push/pull forces work to loosen one part of the knot but tighten the other, making the knot thus more resistant to loosening.

[Poopadoop]

We need an experiment where Banana puts each foot on a vibrating plate and times how long it takes for the laces to come undone. If those times are statistically indistinguishable then it's not the tying that's the issue. If the time is less for the right vs. left foot, then tying is the problem.

Get to work banana. You'll need to do a lot of trials for each foot so we get some reliable data.