<Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (March 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (March 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> <P> A braid (also referred to as a plait) is a complex structure or pattern formed by interlacing three or more strands of flexible material such as textile yarns, wire, or hair . Compared with the process of weaving, which usually involves two separate, perpendicular groups of strands (warp and weft), a braid is usually long and narrow, with each component strand functionally equivalent in zigzagging forward through the overlapping mass of the others . The most common braid is a flat, solid, three - stranded structure . More complex braids can be constructed from an arbitrary number of strands to create a wider range of structures . Braids have been made for thousands of years in many different cultures, and for a variety of uses . Traditionally, the materials used in braids have depended on the indigenous plants and animals available in the local area . </P> <P> When the Industrial Revolution arrived, mechanized braiding equipment was invented to increase production . The braiding technique was used to make ropes, with both natural and synthetic fibers, and coaxial cables for radios using copper wire . In more recent times it has been used to create a covering for fuel pipes in jet aircraft and ships, first using glass fibre, then stainless steel and Kevlar . Pipes for domestic plumbing are often covered with stainless steel braid . </P>

Is a braid and a plait the same thing