Become a member
Sign in
Ask Ethan: Could the fabric of spacetime be defective?
235
10
Ethan Siegel
Michael Hutson
Michael Hutson
Jul 30, 2017 · 1 min read

Sorry Ethan, but a thumb knot/ anti-thumb knot pair can NOT be made to cancel each other out without untying the knots, at least not in three-dimensional space. There’s a proof of this in knot theory: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connected_sum

    Michael Hutson

    Written by

    Michael Hutson

    Write the first response

    Discover Medium

    Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch

    Make Medium yours

    Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore

    Become a member

    Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade
    AboutHelpLegal