xkcd #2880: Sheet Bend
xkcd #2880: Sheet Bend
Alt text:
A left-handed sheet bend creates a much weaker connection, especially under moderate loads.
I just noticed this info on the xkcd website for the first time:
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Randall is such a genius.
Must be a new addition. I haven’t seen it either until now.
It's been there for a while, just hard to spot. From doing a binary search with web.archive.org, it seems it was added on October 5th, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20161005090723/http://xkcd.com/
That
is one mother fucking cursed connector
it's brilliant because it's so hazardous yet still creates a contact between two double core wires.
Additionally, the next "wire" would be connected reversed polarity so you would never know if grey or yellow were hot.
why would it be connected with reversed polarity?
Fuck everything about that.
I want to see IRL photo of this connection.
The knot also needs to be adapted for common two-core electrical appliance cable, if you remove a piece of the insulation on one side and with an offset on the other side, the cable needs to be twisted mid-knot to match the correct wire.
WTF? the sheet bend is close to a square knot which is much more secure. Or a thieves' knot if you're looking for something that slips apart after limited tension.
A sheet bend is more secure for cords of two different types/diameters. A square knot is for cords of the same diameter.