  The resistive decay of chains of three interlocked magnetic flux rings is
considered. Depending on the relative orientation of the magnetic field in the
three rings, the late-time decay can be either fast or slow. Thus, the
qualitative degree of tangledness is less important than the actual value of
the linking number or, equivalently, the net magnetic helicity. Our results do
not suggest that invariants of higher order than that of the magnetic helicity
need to be considered to characterize the decay of the field.
