THE END
[1] "The Scientific Pioneer," AMAZING STORIES, March, 1940.—Ed.
[2] Hank's problem here was similar to those interesting ones presented by Messrs. Krasna and Newman in their fascinating volume, Mathematics and the Imagination: The captives were not truly bound so long as freedom of leg movement permitted them to convert their bonds into a simply-connected manifold.
By way of illustration (and for your own amusement) tie a 36" piece of string to each of your wrists. Tie a second piece of string to each of the wrists of a friend in such a fashion that the second piece loops the first. By experiment, you will discover it is quite possible to disengage yourself from your companion without breaking or cutting the string.
Another interesting example of topological freedom is that achieved in removing the vest without first removing the coat. Try it. The coat may be unbuttoned, but your arms must not slip out of the coat sleeves.—Ed.