Is it within the rules to make chains that cross back into themselves (such as figure 8s)? It seems a bit janky (the chains rub each other and it grinds into the leading edge of the teeth) so I’m assuming no, but I don’t see any rules or instructions about chain construction.
The only thing I think MIGHT imply it isn’t allowed is that it always shows a chain as a contiguous loop that never overlaps when seen from more than 1 angle (a circle is what I’m trying to say!).
I wouldn’t do that for mechanical reasons, as you say. You can achieve the same effects by other means, as you find out in one of the early puzzles, and I find it helpful to logically think about doing that when analyzing circuits, but I wouldn’t actually do it.
Thanks for the response! It didn’t seem like a valid solution within the system but I didn’t see a prohibition. Is there an analogue in actual circuitry (I suppose arranging lines in that manor would achieve the same effect.)
There are a couple things in Spintronics that don’t have good analogues in actual symmetry. It boils down to Spintronics having essentially perfect transformers, while these are hard to build (especially at low frequencies) electronically. But electronic transformers also need directionality markings for similar reasons that these figure 8 circuits do.
Hey @Rangermankin! We love seeing the creative thinking! While not technically outside of the rules, it is not advisable as the chains are not designed for it. As others have mentioned and you observed, there will be considerable friction/wear on the components that will shorten the life of the parts and probably cause unintended behavior in the circuits. All puzzles can be solved without having to overlap the chains, so there shouldn’t be a situation where it’s needed.