Computing the unknotting numbers of certain pretzel knots (Q500919)

In this paper, two families of pretzel knots are examined: \(P(3,1,\dots,1,b)\) (with \(b\) odd and at least 3 and an odd number of 1's) and \(P(3,3,3c)\) (with \(c\) positive and odd). In each case, previous methods by Owens and Traczyk are extended to arrive at the results. In the first, the author determines the unknotting number and states a parallel, and more general, result about pretzel knots, \(P(a,1,\dots,1,b)\) (with \(a,b\) both odd and an odd number of 1's), specifically when this family of pretzel knots cannot be unknotted. In the second major result, the author, via the Jones polynomial, determines the unknotting number, \(u(P(3,3,3c))=3\) while also stating a lower bound on the unknotting number of \(P(3a,3b,3c)\) (for \(a,b,c\) are positive and odd).