Mechanical normal forms of knots and flat knots

DOI10.1134/S1061920811020105zbMATH Open1302.57034arXiv1011.4891MaRDI QIDQ455583FDOQ455583

Authors: A. B. Sosinskiĭ 

Publication date: 22 October 2012

Published in: Russian Journal of Mathematical Physics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: A new type of knot energy is presented via real life experiments involving a thin resilient metallic tube. Knotted in different ways, the device mechanically acquires a uniquely determined (up to isometry) normal form at least when the original knot diagram has a small number of crossings, thus outperforming the famous M"obius energy due to Jun O'Hara and studied by Michael Freedman et al. Various properties of the device are described (under certain conditions it does the Reidemeister and Markov moves, it beautifully performs the Whitney trick by uniformizing its own local curvature). If the device is constrained between two parallel planes (e.g. glass panes), it yields a real life model of a flat knot (class of knot diagrams equivalent under Reidemeister $Omeg{a}_2$ and $Omeg{a}_3$ moves) also leading to uniquely determined "flat normal forms" (for a small number of crossing points of the given flat knot diagram). The paper concludes with two mathematical theorems, one reducing the knot recognition problem to the flat knot recognition problem, the other (due to S.V.Matveev) giving an easily computable complete system of invariants for the flat unknot knot equivalence problem.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/1011.4891

Recommendations

• Normal forms of twisted wire knots
• Minimal flat knotted ribbons
• On the normal form of knots
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 1265046
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 4058442

zbMATH Keywords

knotsknot diagramknot energyflat knotsminimal position

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Cites Work

• On the total curvature of knots
• Title not available (Why is that?)
• Magnetostatic equilibria and analogous Euler flows of arbitrarily complex topology. Part 1. Fundamentals
• Möbius energy of knots and unknots
• Energy of a knot
• The degree of knottedness of tangled vortex lines
• Title not available (Why is that?)
• Links of tori and the energy of incompressible flows

Cited In (6)

• On the normal form of knots
• Energies of knot diagrams
• Normal forms of twisted wire knots
• Euler elasticae in the plane and the Whitney-Graustein theorem
• Energy functionals and normal forms of knots and plane curves
• The elastic trefoil is the doubly covered circle

This page was built for publication: Mechanical normal forms of knots and flat knots

Report a bug (only for logged in users!)Click here to report a bug for this page (MaRDI item Q455583)