I'll have a bash, what is it you would like explained?

( Kroney, Tue 23 Aug 2011, 14:50, 2 replies, latest was 15 years ago)

You know how when you put your headphones down in a straight line, with no part touching any other
and they end up in a massive tangle of knots by the time you pick them up again?

Explain that. With science.
(Darth Foxtrot A one-man army dedicated to making fetch happen, Tue 23 Aug 2011, 14:51, Reply)

Brownian Motion.
On a macro scale.
( Kroney, Tue 23 Aug 2011, 14:52, Reply)

Use words I understand please

(Darth Foxtrot A one-man army dedicated to making fetch happen, Tue 23 Aug 2011, 14:57, Reply)

I would have thought
of all people on here, you would have had the most experience of 'brownian motion'
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Tue 23 Aug 2011, 15:07, Reply)

The alternate name for Brownian Motion is "Pedesis"
Made me chuckle. Sounds liek "paedo"
( Kroney, Tue 23 Aug 2011, 15:08, Reply)

LOL!!!!!

( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Tue 23 Aug 2011, 15:10, Reply)

When he was trying to squeeze past a bloke in the pub on the way to the toilets
he tapped him on the shoulder and said "Can I push your stool in?"
(Reverend Fister "a disciplined fuckwit", Tue 23 Aug 2011, 15:09, Reply)

This is a very old joke, you cunt.

(Reverend Fister "a disciplined fuckwit", Tue 23 Aug 2011, 15:10, Reply)

The actual reason is down to inputted energy. It won't happen if you lay your headphones down in a straight line on your desk and don't touch them.
It will happen though, if you fold them neatly and put them in your pocket. The reason lies in entropy. When you have a system (headphone cables) with many possible states and then you input energy to scramble the current system, it is far more likely that the resulting system will seem disordered. Walking around inputs energy to the cable in your pocket.

This is because there are far more potential disordered states than order states and when you move around, thus inputting energy and therefore movement into the system, it's statistically improbable that you'll end up with a neat system, let alone the precise system you left it in.

"Brownian motion" was tongue in cheek.
( Kroney, Tue 23 Aug 2011, 15:01, Reply)

isn't that entropy rather than chaos theory?

( Citizen Cavy Admires your passion for conformity, Tue 23 Aug 2011, 15:11, Reply)

Honestly, I'm not sure. As I understand it, entropy describes thermodynamics
whereas chaos theory describes the apparently random movements of matter based on existant but not observable causes.

You're probably right, I shall correct it.
( Kroney, Tue 23 Aug 2011, 15:13, Reply)

I think entropy can be other stuff to
it's used in communication studies, too, to describe trnasfer of information or something, but I think that's more metaphorical
( Citizen Cavy Admires your passion for conformity, Tue 23 Aug 2011, 15:15, Reply)

It's gremlins.
Scientific ones.
( b3th Not shit. Not mod., Tue 23 Aug 2011, 14:52, Reply)

Don't forget the doohickies.

(Reverend Fister "a disciplined fuckwit", Tue 23 Aug 2011, 14:57, Reply)

Oh, yeah, the doohickies.
that's the bit I always forget.
( b3th Not shit. Not mod., Tue 23 Aug 2011, 15:02, Reply)

there was a thing recently
where someone invented a way to wrap headphones and things so they wouldn't tangle
( Citizen Cavy Admires your passion for conformity, Tue 23 Aug 2011, 14:52, Reply)

It's my birthday next Friday
*looks hopeful*
(Darth Foxtrot A one-man army dedicated to making fetch happen, Tue 23 Aug 2011, 15:05, Reply)

it's not a thing
it's a technique
( Citizen Cavy Admires your passion for conformity, Tue 23 Aug 2011, 15:08, Reply)

Get me something else then

(Darth Foxtrot A one-man army dedicated to making fetch happen, Tue 23 Aug 2011, 15:09, Reply)

I hope you're taking a note
of all our birthdays.
( b3th Not shit. Not mod., Tue 23 Aug 2011, 15:12, Reply)

I know yours
and that's what matters
(Darth Foxtrot A one-man army dedicated to making fetch happen, Tue 23 Aug 2011, 15:14, Reply)

It certainly is.
I'll let you know when I've posted yours.
( b3th Not shit. Not mod., Tue 23 Aug 2011, 15:15, Reply)

Thank you again :-)

(Darth Foxtrot A one-man army dedicated to making fetch happen, Tue 23 Aug 2011, 15:18, Reply)

Not fussy
I just haven't bought a New Scientist in a while and I'd like to know something new I can bore my workmates with tomorrow
( Citizen Cavy Admires your passion for conformity, Tue 23 Aug 2011, 14:52, Reply)