An algorithm for the word problem in braid groups
Geometric Topology
2007-05-23 v1
Abstract
We suggest a new algorithm for finding a canonical representative of a given braid, and also for the harder problem of finding a -consistent representative. We conjecture that the algorithm is quadratic-time. We present numerical evidence for this conjecture, and prove two results: (1) The algorithm terminates in finite time. (2) The conjecture holds in the special case of 3-string braids - in fact, we prove that the algorithm finds a minimal-lenght representative for any 3-string braid.
Cite
@article{arxiv.math/0211169,
title = {An algorithm for the word problem in braid groups},
author = {Bert Wiest},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:math/0211169},
year = {2007}
}
Comments
17 pages, 6 figures