Stick knots (Q1809542)

The stick number \(s[K]\) of a knot \(K\) is the minimal number of line segments required to make the knot \(K\). The first part of the paper shows that the superbridge index is limited in its ability to give lower bounds on the stick number of a knot. The techniques used are based on work done by \textit{N. H. Kuiper} [Math. Ann. 278, 193-209 (1987; Zbl 0632.57006)] and the reader needs to be familiar with this work in order to fully understand the proof presented. In the second half of the paper a new invariant which is closely related to the superbridge index is exploited to obtain lower bounds on the stick number of \((p,q)\)-torus knots. The final section of the paper discusses how Conway's continued fraction notation for rational knots can be used to obtain new upper bounds on the stick number of certain infinite classes of knots.