# Page 3 model: Ponytails

Many mysteries about hair are now revealed with the ponytail shape equation

The ponytail hairstyle is a synonym of comfort and simplicity, and what was once considered a traditional schoolgirl style, nowadays it has become popular again thanks to clever styling. But trying to work out what shape someone’s ponytail will be has puzzled scientists and artists since Leonardo da Vinci.

In 2012, scientists from the University of Cambridge and University of Warwick developed the ponytail shape equation (PSE) to unravel some of the mysteries of the ponytail. Their model takes into account the gravity ($g$), the elasticity of the hair, the presence of random curliness of hair, and an outward swelling pressure that arises from collisions between the component hairs (which explains how a bundle of hair is swelled).

This equation can be used to find $R$, the radius of the ponytail, in terms of $s$, the arc length along the ponytail. The length at which gravity bends the hair is $l$, $L$ is the length of the ponytail, $P$ is the pressure due to the hairband, $A$ is the bending modulus, and $\rho$ is the hair’s density.

The Rapunzel number, $\text{Ra}$, of a ponytail is the ratio $L/l$. This dimensionless number determines the effect of gravity on hair. When $\text{Ra}<1$, the hair doesn’t bend much, leading to a thin, straight ponytail. When $\text{Ra}>1$, the hair bends strongly under gravity leading to a wide, bushy ponytail.

The relevance of this equation is that it could help in understanding the structure of materials made up of fiber and depicting hair realistically in animation and video games. But most importantly, if you want to look good at a party or a maths conference, simply calculate your Rapunzel number and pop on a hairband that exerts the correct pressure.

#### References

1. RE Goldstein, PB Warren, RC Ball, Shape of a Ponytail and the Statistical Physics of Hair Fiber Bundles, Physical Review Letters, 108, 078101, (2012).
2. RE Goldstein, (2016, September 11), Leonardo, Rapunzel and the Mathematics of Hair.

Hugo is a chemical engineer doing a PhD in Mathematics at University College London. He is currently working on non-Newtonian fluid dynamics. He is also interested in transport phenomena and rheology (the science of deformation).
hugocastillocom.wordpress.com    + More articles by Hugo

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