title: Knotting probability of a shaken ball-chain.
abstract: We study the formation of knots on a macroscopic ball chain, which is shaken on a horizontal plate at 12 times the acceleration of gravity. We find that above a certain critical length, the knotting probability is independent of chain length, while the time to shake out a knot increases rapidly with chain length. The probability of finding a knot after a certain time is the result of the balance of these two processes. In particular, the knotting probability tends to a constant for long chains.
authors.affiliation: H.H. Wills Physics Laboratory, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TL, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hickford
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: S Courrech
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: du Pont
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Eggers