MATH 110 - Introduction to Knot Theory

HC NSMA QFR

2 credits
A knot is obtained by tangling up a length of string and then attaching the two ends together. The theory of knots has applications to statistical mechanics, quantum mechanics, molecular biology (DNA), and chemistry. This course is an introduction to the mathematical theory of knots. It can be very difficult to distinguish two knots from one another. We will study various knot invariants including tri-colorings, the Alexander polynomial, the Jones polynomial, knot genus, and the group of a knot. As time permits, we will study applications of knots to low-dimensional manifolds and to other areas outside of mathematics.