Möbius Clips

[Möbius Clips]

Colorful binder clips linked into a Möbius-like strip of clips.

Designed in May, 2011; completed in November, 2011.

[Möbius Clips: symmetric view]

A straight-on view highlighting the figure's 5-fold symmetry.

Putting yet another twist on binder clips, these 110 colorful clips are linked by the handles to form a Möbius-like strip. Much like a Möbius strip, this strip has a single side and a single edge. But whereas a true Möbius strip has a single half-twist, this figure has five.

The edge, traced by the bodies of the clips, winds twice around the outside while looping five times through the central hole. It is therefore known as the (5,2)-torus knot. (By contrast, the edge of a Möbius strip is a "(1,2)-torus knot", which is unknotted.) Other names for this knot include the cinquefoil knot, Solomon's Seal knot, or a version of the double overhand knot with joined ends.

Copyright © 2011–2020 by Zachary Abel. All rights reserved. Last updated on 4/7/2020.