Related papers: On minimality of two-bridge knots
Among all simple 2-connected graphs, and among all $\theta$-graphs, the graphs with the minimum algebraic connectivity are completely determined, respectively.
Knotoids are open ended knot diagrams regarded up to Reidemeister moves and isotopies. The notion is introduced by V.~Turaev in 2012. Two most important numeric characteristics of a knotoid are the crossing number and the height. The latter…
According to a formula by Gordon and Litherland, the signature of a knot K can be computed as the signature of a Goeritz matrix of K minus a suitable correction term, read off from the diagram of K. In this article, we consider the family…
We investigate the minimal number of links and knots in complete partite graphs. We provide exact values or bounds on the minimal number of links for all complete partite graphs with all but 4 vertices in one partition, or with 9 vertices…
A torti-rational knot, denoted by K(2a,b|r), is a knot obtained from the 2-bridge link B(2a,b) by applying Dehn twists an arbitrary number of times, r, along one component of B(2a,b). We determine the genus of K(2a,b|r) and solve a question…
We study certain linear representations of the knot group that induce augmentations of knot contact homology. This perspective on augmentations enhances our understanding of the relationship between the augmentation polynomial and the…
Let $\mbox{Len}(K)$ be the minimum length of a knot on the cubic lattice (namely the minimum length necessary to construct the knot in the cubic lattice). This paper provides upper bounds for $\mbox{Len}(K)$ of a nontrivial knot $K$ in…
This paper investigates the use of the most fundamental elements; cables for tension and bars for compression, in the search for the most efficient bridges. Stable arrangements of these elements are called tensegrity structures. We show…
In this article we prove that for a large class of 2-dimensional minimal cones (including almost all 2-dimensional minimal cones that we know), the almost orthogonal union of any two of them is still a minimal cone. Comparing to existing…
In this short note we consider the computational problem of numerically finding the minimum and arg-min of a Brownian bridge. Using well-known results by Pitman, Tanaka, Vervaat and Williams we are able to show that the bisection method has…
A triple crossing is a crossing in a projection of a knot or link that has three strands of the knot passing straight through it. A triple crossing projection is a projection such that all of the crossings are triple crossings. We prove…
Any knot group is the image of the group of a prime knot by a homomorphism that preserves peripheral structure. In fact, there are infinitely many such prime knots. A related partial order on knots is defined, and its properties are…
For a genus-1 1-bridge knot in the 3-sphere, that is, a (1,1)-knot, a middle tunnel is a tunnel that is not an upper or lower tunnel for some (1,1)-position. Most torus knots have a middle tunnel, and non-torus-knot examples were obtained…
We analyze properties of links which have diagrams with a small number of negative crossings. We show that if a nontrivial link has a diagram with all crossings positive except possibly one, then the signature of the link is negative. If a…
We compute the maximal Thurston-Bennequin number for a Legendrian two-bridge knot or oriented two-bridge link in standard contact R^3, by showing that the upper bound given by the Kauffman polynomial is sharp. As an application, we present…
We show that if a knot has a minimal spanning surface that admits certain Gabai disks, then this knot has Property P. As one of the applications we extend and simplify a recent result of Menasco and Zhang that closed 3-braid knots have…
We introduce two numerical invariants, the waist and the trunk of knots. The waist of a closed incompressible surface in the complement of a knot is defined as the minimal intersection number of all compressing disks for the surface in the…
For a knot K the cube number is a knot invariant defined to be the smallest n for which there is a cube diagram of size n for K. We will show that the cube number detects chirality in all cases computed thus far, and distinguishes certain…
Our main result is a nontrivial lower bound for the distortion of some specific knots. In particular, we show that the distortion of the torus knot $T_{p,q}$ satisfies $\delta(T_{p,q})>\frac 1{160}\min(p,q)$. This answers a 1983 question of…
A knot is an a-small knot if its exterior does not contain closed incompressible surfaces disjoint from some incompressible Seifert surface for the knot. Using circular thin position for knots we prove that the handle number is additive…