#2             66. FASTENED OR UNFASTENED?                 

“Somebody has pinched my scissors!” exclaimed Elizabeth angrily. “I had them on the counter here, fastened by a loop of cord. Now the cord is in one piece and still firmly secured at the ends. But the scissors have gone!”

“How did you have them fastened?” I asked.

Elizabeth quickly recreated the scene of the crime using a spare pair of scissors (see the photo).

“Well, that’s tricky, but not impossible,” I commented.

And presto! I carried off my second pair of scissors for the day.

How did I do it?

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Hints and strategies

Hint 1           Hint 2            Solution             Extensions
HINT 1

Look at the way thescissors are tied – not an obvious way! Does this give you any clue?
HINT 2

Try passing the loop back through the thumb hole of the scissors.
SOLUTION

As in Hint 2, take the loop by the fingers hole, and pull it back through the thumb hole of the scissors. Now pass the whole loop right around the scissors, finally withdrawing it back through the thmb hole. Presto! It actually works!
EXTENSIONS

1. This problem belongs to a part of mathematics called topology. It depends on the structure of the scissors, but not their exact shape. Look up ‘topology’.

2. The problem also involves a knot. Look up ‘knot theory’ on Wikipedia.