ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Alternating knot

An alternating knot is a special way of tying or creating a knot with a rope or string. To understand what an alternating knot is, first, you need to know what a regular knot is. You might have tied your shoelaces in a knot, which is an example of a regular knot.

Now, imagine you have a long piece of string, and you want to tie it in a knot, but you want this knot to look different from the regular knot. That's where an alternating knot comes in.

To tie an alternating knot, you need to start by folding the string in half. Then, take the right side of the string, cross it over the left side, and bring it back underneath. You will end up with a loop on the right side and two ends on the left.

Next, take the left end of the string and cross it over the right side. Bring it back underneath and through the loop created by the right side of the string. Pull both ends tight, and you have just created an alternating knot!

One way to understand why it's called an alternating knot is that the string alternates sides each time you cross it over the other side. First, the right side goes over the left, then the left side goes over the right, and so on.

Overall, an alternating knot is a fun and unique way to tie a knot with a string, and you can use it for all sorts of things like tying up your hair, fastening a shoelace, or even for crafts and decorations.