The Mobius Strip

A Mobius strip is one of the coolest shapes in math. It is a loop with a twist. If you run your finger along the surface, you will go around the entire strip and end up where you started, without ever lifting your finger. It has only one side!

How to Make One

Making a Mobius strip is easy. Take a strip of paper. Give one end a half twist. Then tape the two ends together to form a loop. That is it!

Now try drawing a line down the middle of the strip without lifting your pencil. You will go all the way around and end up where you started. This proves the strip has only one side.

What Happens When You Cut It

If you cut a regular loop in half down the middle, you get two loops. But if you cut a Mobius strip down the middle, something surprising happens. You get one big loop with two twists instead of two separate pieces.

If you cut the new loop down the middle again, you get two loops linked together like a chain. Math shapes can be full of surprises!

Fun Facts

• The Mobius strip was discovered in 1858 by two mathematicians independently: August Mobius and Johann Listing.
• Some conveyor belts are designed as Mobius strips so both sides wear evenly.
• The recycling symbol is designed to look like a Mobius strip.

Did You Know?

A Mobius strip has only one edge too! If you trace your finger along the edge, you go all the way around both sides before getting back to the start.