The Moebius Strip

A moebius strip is a loop of paper with a half twist in it.

How to make a moebius strip.

1. Take a strip of paper.

2. Give it a half twist (turn one end over).

3. Tape the ends together.

What to do with a moebius strip.

After you make your moebius strip, take a pencil and draw a line along the length. How many sides does the moebius strip have?

Take a pair of scissors and cut the moebius strip along the line you have drawn. What happened?

What do you think will happen if you cut it down the middle again? Try it.

Here's a book about Mobius...

Clifford A. Pickover, The Mobius Strip: Dr. August Mobius's Marvelous Band in Mathematics, Games, Literature, Art, Technology, and Cosmology (Thunder's Mouth Press, 2006)

Find it on the Web...

Moebius was a mathematician and astronomer in the 1800s.

 Take a look at the path of the ants on Moebius Strip II, a woodcut by M.C. Escher. Which side of the strip are the ants walking on?

or at the Library.

If you have trouble accessing the Escher graphics over the Web, check with your school or public library for a book of Escher's work, which includes a lot of interesting mathematical figures.

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