A mobius strip is created by twisting a long strip of material once and then joining its two ends.
Q = But what's so special about this strip?
A = It only has one side.
Make a mobius strip and follow it round with your finger if you like, and you'll find you end up on the opposite side from where you started without going over the edge.
Check out Escher's mobius strip below. Those poor ants are going nowhere.
The mobius strip is where the symbol for infinity comes from. The sideways figure 8 you see, meaning infinity, is actually supposed to represent a Mobius strip, since the Mobius strip goes on forever.
More Fun With Your Mobius
Why don't we try to cut it in half to make two of them? Draw completely around the centreline of your strip. Remember that you won't need to lift the pen to do both sides. Then get a pair of scissors and cut along the line. When you get back to the start of your cut after cutting all the way around the strip, you'll be able to take your two Mobius strips apart and give one to a friend.
Only kidding! The Mobius strip is much more tricky than that. You'll find that you can't cut your Mobius strip in two at all. You've still just got one long loop with a couple of extra twists thrown in for good measure.
Still not satisfied? Then try cutting it in two again. Do it the same way - all the way around the strip, and this time you really do get two strips. But the Mobius strip still has another trick up its topological sleeve. The two strips you now have are linked together!
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