Factors taken into account for the formula include type of wash, laundry, number of people in house and amount of socks washedDo you ever wonder why so many socks go missing or you always seem to end up with odd pairs?

These scientists may have just the answered the question after claiming to have unravelled the mystery of why socks go missing.

And they have developed a formula to predict the chances of socks straying.

Created by psychologist Dr Simon Moore and leading statistician Dr Geoff Ellis the study was commissioned by Samsung to launch its new washing machine AddWash.

For the brainboxes amongst you the algorithm, titled the 'sock loss index' is: (L(p x f)+C(t x s))-(P x A).

The formula, explained in more detail below, takes a variety of sock-related factors into account.That includes the volume of laundry, number of people in the household, type of wash and amount of socks washed.

Degree of attention to the wash - such as checking pockets and unrolling socks - is also part of the complex calculation, along with how much someone loves or hates doing a wash.

Read more : Why wearing underwear in bed can be bad for your healthTo calculate the formula
L = laundry size

p = number of people living in a home

f = frequency of washes in a week

C = Washing complexity

t = how many types of wash households do in a week

s = number of socks washed in a week

P = The 'positivity towards doing laundry', measured 1 to 5

A = Degree of attention, including how many times you check pockets, unroll sleeves, turn clothes the right way and unroll socks