In reply to stewieatb:
From the link above
Rejected: Knots Break Because of Severe Curves Inside the Knot
Day commented that “It is sometimes asserted that the breaking strength of a knot
depends on the radius of the sharpest curve within the knot.” (15) It may also be inferred that
the Alpine Club report would support the idea that a knot breaks at a severe curve inside the
knot. And Ashley observed that “One of the ‘laws’ quoted in dictionary and encyclopedia
knot discussions … is that ‘the strength of a knot depends on the ease of its curves’ ” (30).
Ashley’s experiment with the Bowline Bend dramatically refutes the idea that severe curves inside a knot weaken it. Except in knots of the core-and-wrap construction, curves well inside a knot do not directly affect either the strength of the knot or the place where they break. For
example, a Bowline does not break at the severe curve where the arms of the hitch cross. This is because the load that falls on the gentle curve at the entry point is virtually 100%, while the load at the hitch is considerably less than that.