"Mathematicians Crack Decades-Long Möbius Strip Mystery"

Mathematician Richard Schwartz has proposed a solution to a long-standing problem in mathematics: determining the smallest size of a Möbius strip without self-intersection. The problem, originally posed in 1977, involves finding the ratio between the length and width of the strip. Schwartz's solution, based on squashing paper Möbius strips, revealed a trapezoid shape instead of a parallelogram. After correcting an error in his previous work, Schwartz found that the ratio is equal to the square root of 3 (√3). Möbius strips, with their unique properties, have been used in various applications such as tape recorders, typewriters, and the recycling symbol.