Cords in a box: one of the last remaining unexplained phenomena

**Septentrionalis** · June 25, 2021, 01:48 PM

I wonder if anyone has scientifically studied what happens in a box with a lot of equipment with cords. I mean how is it possible that they get entangled the way they do?

I just had to reach into a box for an old mouse, and I swear the cord of the damn thing had actual knots with other cords. Like the kind of knots that I would not have the skill or energy to tie. What happens in those boxes? Do the cords like squirm around when no one is watching?

**AqD** · June 25, 2021, 02:03 PM

You need to teach them a lesson by cutting them up.

**Akar** · June 25, 2021, 02:05 PM

Yes, it has been studied.

I can't find the paper itself, but here's an article with a bit of an explanation on it.

Basically, there is a very limited number of arrangements for your headphones to be "untangled" and a practically infinite number of arrangements for it to be "tangled".

Now I will share with you some ancient knowledge that I and few others possess. There is, in fact, a way you can put your headphones or other cords away while ensuring they do not become tangled. The trick is to make the cord think that it has already been tangled. Take the headphones or cord with both ends in your right hand and stick your finger in the middle of the cord/the loop made by your right hand holding both ends and with your finger twist the two cords together 10-15 times. Then, fold the newly wrapped cable in half until it fits the space you desire it to. When removing the cable, you can simply untwist the cable and it will come easily undone with no knots or other snags.

**Septentrionalis** · June 25, 2021, 02:22 PM

Someone rep this Akar person for me, please. I cannot and I should. Excellent reading and the magic incantation in the end is great. The article only describes the phenomenon but does not really reveal the mechanism behind it, so I say supernatural still.

Concerning the spell you suggest, does it make the cord curly forever? Because that kind of sucks too.

**Akar** · June 25, 2021, 02:31 PM

I don't find that it does, no, but I can't speak for every cord that you'll encounter. My headphones are always tied up like that and whenever I unwind them they're back to their normal shape pretty quickly.