Almost reconstruction of the 3-dimensional ball from \(K_{pqrs}\times I\) (Q1360201)

This paper studies the 2-complex \(K_{pqrs}\) obtained by attaching 2 disks to the wedge of two circles by the words \(a^pb^q\) and \(a^rb^s\), with \( |ps-qr|=1\). The best well-known example of this kind of complexes is the ``topological dunce hat'' (given by \(K_{1112}\)). If the famous Zeeman conjecture is true, then the complex \(K_{pqrs} \times I\) is collapsible (because \(K_{pqrs}\) is contractible). This last result is known to be true for \(K_{1112} \times I\) and \(K_{2334} \times I\). This paper proves a related result: For a piecewise linear 2-sphere \(S^2\) in a contractible 3-complex \(K^3\), we say that a point \(p\) in \(K^3-S^2\) lies in the interior of \(S^2\) if \(S^2\) is non-trivial in \(H_2(K^3-p,Z_2)\). The main result of the paper says: Theorem: \(K_{pqrs} \times I\) collapses to a 2-sphere plus its interior. The paper also contains two interesting conjectures.