The knot book

by Colin Conrad Adams

Over a century old, knot theory is today one of the most active areas of modern mathematics. The study of knots has led to important applications in DNA research and the synthesis of new molecules. And it is having a significant impact on statistical mechanics and quantum field theory. Many of the problems discussed in knot theory, including those treated here, can be understood with only a background of high school algebra and can be solved by the curious amateur. All you need to begin is a piece of string, a little math, a little imagination, and Colin Adams's The Knot Book - the first book to make cutting-edge research in knot theory accessible to a nonspecialist audience. What are the different properties and classifications of knots? How do you determine whether a knot is actually knotted or can be untangled? What is the appropriate measure of the complexity of a knot? What does knot theory research offer to other sciences? In The Knot Book Colin Adams describes and illustrates th