21st Century Engineering by Anirudh Dhebar
October 2026
How many stretches can a rubber band take?
I remember as a child playing with a rubber band: I
would stretch it, and it would spring back to its original
condition. I would stretch it again, and it would spring
right back, again and again. But when next stretched, it
ended up slightly longer and less springy. Stretched yet
again, it began to lose its elasticity. Finally, the last time I
stretched, it broke.
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